BPA may increase miscarriage risk in pregnant women

New research suggests that high levels of BPA, a chemical in many plastics and canned food linings, might raise the risk of miscarriage in women prone to that problem or having trouble getting pregnant. According to CBS News, a new study presented Oct. 14 at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's (ASRM) annual meeting in Boston found women with the highest levels of BPA, or bisphenol A, in their blood were significantly more likely to miscarry than women with the lowest levels of the ubiquitous chemical. BPA is used to line cans to prevent corrosion, but it is also found in plastic bottles, tableware and food storage containers. BPA is referred to by researchers as a "hormone-disrupting chemical" due to links to health risks including reproductive problems, neurodevelopmental delays, diabetes and obesity. Researchers recruited 114 women in early pregnancy and gave them blood tests, storing their samples. Blood was later tested in women who had given birth and women who had a miscarriage in the first trimester. They assigned women into four groups based on their blood levels of BPA from lowest to highest, and then assessed miscarriage risk for each group. Women who had a miscarriage had higher BPA levels on average than women who had live births. Miscarriage risk rose with increasing levels of BPA in mom's blood, with women in the group with the highest levels at about an 80 percent increased risk. To minimize BPA exposure, avoid cooking or warming food in plastic because heat helps the chemical leak out, said Study author Dr. Ruth Lathi, director of the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Program, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Division at Stanford University . Don't leave water bottles in the sun, limit use of canned foods and avoid handling cash register receipts, which often are coated with resins that contain BPA. However ,she told the Associated Press that the small study is not a major cause for alarm, but "it's far from reassuring that BPA is safe."