To evaluate the association between
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and
uterine fibroids, we used previously collected data from a cohort of women aged 18-44 years undergoing laparoscopy or
laparotomy at 14 participating hospital surgical centers (n=473). POP concentrations were measured in omental fat and serum. Presence of
fibroids was defined on the basis of a postoperative diagnosis (n=99). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each POP by
biologic medium were estimated using unconditional logistic regression adjusted for identified covariates. Concentrations were higher in omental fat than in serum for all POPs. Serum
p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (
p,p'-DDE) was the only POP associated with
fibroids (per 1-SD increase in log-transformed
p,p'-DDE OR (95% CI): 1.37 (1.05-1.80)). In analyses excluding women diagnosed with
endometriosis, a number of
polychlorinated biphenyls (
PCBs) measured in omental fat were associated with
fibroids (PCB 99: 1.64 (1.08, 2.49);
PCB 138: 1.64 (1.03, 2.59); PCB 146: 1.54 (1.01, 2.37);
PCB 153: 1.88 (1.12, 3.13); PCB 196: 1.60 (1.02, 2.51); PCB 206: 1.52 (1.01, 2.29)). Although exploratory, our study suggests that
PCBs may be associated with
fibroids in the absence of other gynecologic disorders such as
endometriosis, but the associations varied by
biologic media with more POPs emerging when quantified in fat.