Germaine M. Buck Louis

OBJECTIVE: To assess benzophenone-type ultraviolet (UV) filter concentrations, chemicals used in sunscreen and personal care products, and semen endpoints. DESIGN: Cohort. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): A total of 413 men provided …

Multiple trace elements have estrogen receptor activity, but the association of these elements with uterine leiomyoma has not been defined. A cohort of 473 women aged 18-44 undergoing surgery for benign gynecologic indications provided whol…

Speculation has arisen that human fecundity may be declining, possibly a function of exposure to persistent environmental chemicals that resist degradation resulting in various pathways for human exposure. In contrast to considerable animal…

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 surgi…

Concern has arisen about benzophenone (BP) ultraviolet (UV) radiation filters, given their use in sunscreen and personal-care products and their reported estrogenic and antiandrogenic activity. We recruited 501 couples who were discontinuin…

UNLABELLED: Endometriosis, ectopic growth of the uterine lining (endometrium), which affects 6-11% of reproductive age women, is associated with pelvic pain and infertility. We investigated the peritoneal fluid (PF), urine and omental fat (…

OBJECTIVE: To harmonize standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standardize the recording of associated data for collection, processing, and storage of human tissues relevant to endometriosis. DESIGN: An international collaboration involv…

OBJECTIVE: To harmonize the collection of nonsurgical clinical and epidemiologic data relevant to endometriosis research, allowing large-scale collaboration. DESIGN: An international collaboration involving 34 clinical/academic centers and…

OBJECTIVE: To harmonize standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standardize the recording of associated data for collection, processing, and storage of fluid biospecimens relevant to endometriosis. DESIGN: An international collaboration i…

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation between bisphenol A and 14 phthalate metabolites and endometriosis. DESIGN: Matched cohort design. SETTING: Fourteen clinical centers. PATIENT(S): The operative cohort comprised 495 women undergoing lap…

Studies of delayed conception and risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) are sparse, although common underlying mechanisms are plausible, including insulin resistance and inflammation. The association between a history of infertility and GDM wa…

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of infertility using a current duration approach for comparison with a traditional constructed measure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): A nationally representativ…

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify risk factors for endometriosis and their consistency across study populations in the Endometriosis: Natural History, Diagnosis, and Outcomes (ENDO) Study. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective matched, exposure…

Understanding the mechanisms that underlie successful human reproduction and development is an ambitious goal, given the many unique methodological challenges surrounding such study. These challenges are well understood by reproductive and …

Analysis of human urine is commonly used in biomonitoring studies to assess exposure to essential (e.g., Cu, Zn, Se) and non-essential (Pb, Cd, Pt) trace elements. These data are also used in epidemiological studies to evaluate potential as…

There has been limited study of trace elements and endometriosis. Using a matched cohort design, 473 women aged 18-44 years were recruited into an operative cohort, along with 131 similarly aged women recruited into a population cohort. End…

BACKGROUND: Despite humans being exposed to complex chemical mixtures, much of the available research continues to focus on a single compound or metabolite or a select subgroup of compounds inconsistent with the nature of human exposure. Un…

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing public health problem among reproductive-aged women, with consequences for chronic disease risk and reproductive and obstetric morbidities. Evidence also suggests that body shape (i.e., regional fat distribu…

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the interrater and intrarater reliability of endometriosis diagnosis and severity of disease among gynecologic surgeons viewing operative digital images. METHODS: The study population comprised a random sample (n=148…

OBJECTIVE: To assess in utero exposures and the odds of an endometriosis diagnosis. DESIGN: Matched cohort design. SETTING: Fourteen participating clinical centers in geographically defined areas in Utah and California. PATIENT(S): Opera…

BACKGROUND: Environmental chemicals may be associated with endometriosis. No published research has focused on the possible role of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) despite their widespread presence in human tissues. METHODS: We formulated two sa…

BACKGROUND: An equivocal literature exists regarding the relation between persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) and endometriosis in women, with differences attributed to methodologies. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the association between…

Benzophenone (BP)-type UV filters are widely used in a variety of personal care products for the protection of skin and hair from UV irradiation. Despite the estrogenic potencies of BP derivatives, few studies have examined the occurrence o…