It is an American study which indicates that this is “An additional track to reduce prematurity in the world”.
On January 12, the magazine Nature Microbiology relayed the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York.
It reveals that certain chemical substances, found in cosmetics and other hygiene products, are strongly associated with premature birth. As a reminder, a birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy is the leading cause of neonatal death and can lead to various health problems throughout life.
To carry out their study, the scientists followed 232 women during the second quarter of pregnancy, and until birth. Among them, 80 experienced a premature delivery.
It is in the vaginal metabolome that the researchers are interested. It is small molecules, called metabolites, which is found in a part of the body and which allows an understanding of their role. 700 different metabolites have thus been identified. And it turns out that some were particularly high in women who had experienced a premature birth.
A non-biological origin
Tal Korem, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement:
Many of these metabolites are chemical products which are not produced by the human body or microbes. These include diethanolamine, ethyl-beta glucoside, tartrate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Although we did not identify the source of these xenobiotics in our participants, all of them could be found in cosmetics and hygiene products.
He adds that the environmental exposures must be analyzed, and what are their origins, if any. But he wants to be reassuring: “The good news is that if these chemicals are responsible, it is possible to limit these potentially harmful exposures.”
No causal link yet
Admittedly, the causal link between the presence of chemicals in the vagina and premature birth has not been formally established. Because other causes (malformations of the uterus, age of the woman, multiple pregnancies, etc.) may come into play.
Mais le Pr Korem insists: “Our results demonstrate that vaginal metabolites have the ability to predict, months in advance, which women are likely to give birth prematurely.”