Title: Medications as a source of paraben exposure.

Authors: Dodge, Laura E; Kelley, Katherine E; Williams, Paige L; Williams, Michelle A; Hernández-Díaz, Sonia; Missmer, Stacey A; Hauser, Russ

Published In Reprod Toxicol, (2015 Apr)

Abstract: Parabens are used as antimicrobial excipients in some pharmaceuticals. Parabens may adversely affect reproduction.Determine whether paraben-containing medication contributes to high urinary paraben concentrations.Individuals at a fertility clinic provided multiple urine samples during evaluation/treatment and reported 24-h use of medications and personal care products (PCP). Repeated measures models compared specific gravity-adjusted urinary methyl, propyl, and butyl paraben concentrations between samples "exposed" and "unexposed" to paraben-containing medication.Eleven participants contributed 12 exposed and 45 unexposed samples, among which paraben concentrations did not differ. Use within 7h was associated with 8.7-fold and 7.5-fold increases in mean methyl (P=0.11) and propyl (P=0.10) paraben concentrations, respectively, after adjusting for PCP use. However, these associations decreased to 1.3-fold (P=0.76) and 2.6-fold (P=0.34), respectively, after removal of one influential individual.Paraben-containing medications contributed to higher urinary paraben concentrations within hours of use.

PubMed ID: 25728410

MeSH Terms: Adolescent; Adult; Anti-Infective Agents; Environmental Exposure*; Female; Fertility/drug effects; Fertilization in Vitro; Humans; Insemination, Artificial, Homologous; Male; Middle Aged; Parabens/adverse effects*; Parabens/analysis*; Pregnancy; Preservatives, Pharmaceutical*; Prospective Studies; Urine/chemistry; Young Adult