Reproductive health

 Reproductive health refers to the condition of male and female reproductive systems during all life stages. These systems are made of organs and hormone-producing glands, including the pituitary gland in the brain. Ovaries in females and testicles in males are reproductive organs, or gonads, that maintain health of their respective systems. They also function as glands because they produce and release hormones.

Reproductive disorders affect millions of Americans each year.

The following clinical trials are currently recruiting:

• Demystifying a Girl’s First Period
• Inherited Reproductive Disorders Study

Female disorders include:

• Early or delayed puberty.
• Endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that normally lines the inside of the womb, known as the endometrium, grows outside of it.Male disorders include:
  • Impotence or erectile dysfunction.
  • Low sperm count.
  

  Scientists believe environmental factors likely play a role in some reproductive disorders. Research shows exposure to environmental factors could affect reproductive health in the following ways:

  • Exposure to lead is linked to reduced fertility in both men and women.1
  • Mercury exposure has been linked to issues of the nervous system like memory, attention, and fine motor skills.2
  • Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a drug once prescribed to women during pregnancy, can lead to increased risks in their daughters of cancer, infertility, and pregnancy complications.3
  • Exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds, chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones, may contribute to problems with puberty, fertility, and pregnancy.4

  What is NIEHS Doing?

  NIEHS conducts and funds research to understand environmental factors that may affect human reproductive health.

  Heavy lifting or shift work and decreased fertility – Two Male disorders include:

  • Impotence or erectile dysfunction.
  • Low sperm count.
  

  Scientists believe environmental factors likely play a role in some reproductive disorders. Research shows exposure to environmental factors could affect reproductive health in the following ways:

  • Exposure to lead is linked to reduced fertility in both men and women.1
  • Mercury exposure has been linked to issues of the nervous system like memory, attention, and fine motor skills.2
  • Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a drug once prescribed to women during pregnancy, can lead to increased risks in their daughters of cancer, infertility, and pregnancy complications.3
  • Exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds, chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones, may contribute to problems with puberty, fertility, and pregnancy.4

  What is NIEHS Doing?

  NIEHS conducts and funds research to understand environmental factors that may affect human reproductive health.

  Heavy lifting or shift work and decreased fertility – Two occupational factors for women – lifting heavy loads or working non-daytime schedules – are associated with fewer eggs in their ovaries, which could indicate decreased fertility.5 factors for women – lifting heavy loads or working non-daytime schedules – are associated with fewer eggs in their 

  • largest pregnancy cohorts and specimen banks.
  • Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) – A consortium of researchers at NIEHS, and around the world, that studies how environmental exposures in early life affect pregnancy outcomes and child health.
  • Reproductive System Disorders – NIEHS supports research that is developing a fuller understanding of the relationship between exposures and risk of reproductive health problems. For example, grantees are studying the effects of arsenic exposure on birth outcomes; ties between dioxin exposure and endometriosis; and the role endocrine disruptors might play in sperm chromosomal abnormalities.
  • Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF) – A study conducted at NIEHS that uses ultrasound screening to identify risk factors for uterine fibroid development in African-American women.

  Further Reading

  , which could indicate decreased fertility.5

• Inadequate breastmilk supply.
• Infertility or reduced fertility (difficulty getting pregnant).
• Menstrual problems including heavy or irregular bleeding.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome, ovaries produce more male hormones than normal.
• Problems during pregnancy.
• Uterine fibroids, noncancerous growths in a woman’s uterus or womb.