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Women's Health and the Environment

A Factsheet

By National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

The most common tumors in women are benign (non-malignant) uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas. These tumors are present in 20 to 30 percent of women over age 30; uterine fibroids are more common in African-American women.

Fibroids can cause significant pain and discomfort and are associated with reproductive problems. They are the leading reason for hysterectomies – major operations in which the uterus is surgically removed, either through the abdominal wall or the vagina.

NIEHS epidemiologists are conducting a study of uterine fibroids in black and white women in their late-reproductive years who are members of the George Washington University Health Plan in Washington, D.C.

Osteoporosis is a debilitating condition characterized by fragility of the bone. It sometimes occurs in men but is generally found in postmenopausal women. Cadmium, lead and possibly other heavy metals found in the environment may be significant factors in developing this disease. NIEHS-supported research has shown that cadmium exposure results in increased loss of bone mineral in mice whose ovaries have been removed. The bone loss appears to occur from a direct action of cadmium on bone, not through an indirect effect on kidney reabsorption of calcium. Thus, cadmium exposure may be a significant factor contributing to osteoporosis in older women. Continued efforts to study the basic physiology of bone metabolism as well as the mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity in bone tissue should provide insight into the disease mechanisms of osteoporosis.

Other NIEHS-supported studies are investigating the health consequences of lead released into the blood stream and soft tissue due to osteoporosis. One health effect that has been identified is an increased risk for hypertension. Some of these studies are using lead as a marker to develop hormonal therapies to prevent bone reabsorption.

Want to see more?

• Too Toxic to Conceive: Is Your Lifestyle to Blame?
• When Life Is a Pain: The Facts on Endometriosis
• Public Problem, Private Suffering: The Issue of DES Daughters
• Talk about it!

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