Can personal care products trigger preterm birth? Nature warns that preterm birth is linked to chemicals found in the vagina

According to a new study by researchers at Columbia University's Vaglos College of Internal Medicine and Surgeons, chemicals that accumulate in the vagina, possibly from personal care products, cause spontaneous preterm birth
.

The study of 232 pregnant women found that some non-biochemicals previously found in cosmetics and hygiene products were strongly associated
with preterm birth.

"Our findings suggest that we need to look more closely at whether common environmental exposures actually cause preterm birth and, if so, where those exposures come from," said
Tal Korem, Ph.
D.
, co-leader of the study and assistant professor of systems biology, and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University's Mathematical Genomics Project.
"The good news is that if these chemicals are the culprit, then it is possible to limit these potentially harmful exposures
.
"

The study was published Jan.
12 in
the journal Nature Microbiology.

Preterm birth, or delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is the number one cause of neonatal death and can lead to a variety of lifelong health problems
.
Two-thirds of preterm births occur naturally, but despite extensive research, there is still no way to
predict or prevent natural preterm birth.

Some studies have shown that an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota plays an important role
in premature birth and other problems during pregnancy.
However, researchers have not been able to reproducibly link
specific microbial populations to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The research team, co-led by Dr.
Korem and Dr.
Maayan Levy of the University of Pennsylvania, decided to conduct a broader study
of the vaginal microenvironment by looking at the metabolome of the vagina.
The metabolome is a complete set of small molecules found in a specific biological niche, including metabolites produced by local cells and microorganisms as well as molecules
from external sources.
"The metabolome can be viewed as a functional readout for the entire ecosystem," Korem said
.
"Microbiome analysis can tell us who the microbes are; Metabolomics brings us closer to understanding what microbes are doing
.
”

In the current study, the researchers measured more than 700 different metabolites in the second trimester metabolome of 232 pregnant women, including 80 pregnant women
who ended prematurely.

Studies have found that women born preterm have significantly higher levels of multiple metabolites than women
who give birth at term.

"Several of these metabolites are chemicals that aren't produced by humans or microbes — we call them xenomorphs," Korem said
.
These substances include diethanolamine, B-β glucosides, tartrate, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
.
Although we did not identify the source of these xenobiotics in the participants, all of them can be found
in cosmetics and hygiene products.
”

The algorithm predicts preterm birth

Using machine learning models, the team also developed an algorithm based on metabolite levels that can predict preterm birth very accurately, paving the way
for early diagnosis.

While predictions are more accurate than models based on microbiome data and maternal characteristics such as age, BMI, ethnicity, history of preterm birth, and previous delivery, new models still need to be improved and further validated
before they can be applied clinically.

Despite current limitations, Korem said, "Our findings suggest that vaginal metabolites have the potential to predict which women are likely to give birth
earlier months in advance.
"