Is female reproductive aging programmed in the womb?

Abstract

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial contaminants and a class of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that are known to interact with the reproductive system (estrogenic and androgenic) as well as other endocrine systems. Our lab and others have shown that perinatal exposure to estrogenic PCBs alters numerous aspects of the reproductive physiology and behavior in adulthood. In our current study published in Endocrinology, we extended this work further into the lifecycle to understand how gestational exposure to EDCs might affect the process of reproductive aging. In females, we found that exposure to a PCB mixture, Aroclor 1221 (A1221), altered the progression of reproductive aging and gene expression profiles in two brain regions important for regulating reproductive physiology and function: the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and median eminence (ME). Fewer effects were found in males and were largely limited to the ARC. Here I expand upon the ideas presented in the original article to discuss how exposure to EDCs and early life history can inform treatment for the symptoms of menopause, explore new hypotheses regarding circadian alterations involved in the process of reproductive aging, and examine how different models of reproductive senescence may inform our understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in these physiological processes.