Study identifies possible environmental risk of pre-term birth

MIRAMAR, Fla. – A study by the National Institutes of Health revealed a link with common chemicals that could put pregnancy at risk.

Fertility specialist Dr. Maria Facadio Antero with Conceptions Florida said the study showed pregnant women who were exposed to phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth.

Phthalates are group of chemicals commonly used in a variety of household and personal care products, even medications.

“There’s a lot of research into how phthalates affect our health in general. In the fertility world there’s a lot of mouse research that shows that phthalates can affect our reproductive organs,” Facadio-Antero said.

She said having a preterm birth is dangerous for both baby and mom, so it’s important to identify risk factors.

Facadio-Antero suggested looking for products that specifically say ‘phthalate free’.

And another study by the NIH found that vaccine-induced immune response to the Omicron variant of COVID wanes substantially over time.

Researchers noted that while booster vaccines in adults created high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the variant, those levels decreased dramatically within three months.

The authors said that the findings are consistent with real-world reports about the long term benefits of the vaccine against omicron.

The data could be used for making decisions about future vaccine schedules, including the need for variant vaccine boosting.


About the Authors:

Kristi Krueger has built a solid reputation as an award-winning medical reporter and effervescent anchor. She joined Local 10 in August 1993. After many years co-anchoring the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Kristi now co-anchors the noon newscasts, giving her more time in the evening with her family.

Veteran journalist Kathleen Corso is the special projects producer for Local 10 News.