Abstract
Synthetic sex hormones (estrogens such as diethylstilbestrol, 17-α-ethinyl estradiol and progestins) are copies, generally not bio identical, of natural hormones and are considered endocrine disruptors. Since 1938, they have been administered, alone or in cocktails, to millions of women worldwide to avoid miscarriage, as oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, and for other gynecological indications. In this review, we retrace the history of their deleterious effects on the central nervous system of children exposed in utero (severe psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, associated or not with somatic disorders). After the discovery of the molecular link between administration of synthetic estrogens to pregnant women and psychiatric disorders in exposed children, an epigenetic mechanism (hypermethylation of some genes that influence neurodevelopment) was proposed. Moreover, the multigenerational effects of synthetic sex hormones have been described by us (autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder with/ without learning disorders) and other authors (cognitive disorders). We also report men exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol who identify as transgender women in the French HHORAGES cohort. Lastly, we describe the presence of depressive disorders, anxiety and history of suicide attempts/suicide among women who take combined oral contraceptives. These findings stress that all xenohormone types should not be prescribed to women, especially during pregnancy, and as a precautionary principle also for contraception, particularly due to the hypothetical effect of oral contraception on unborn children.
Citation
Soyer-Gobillard MO, Gaspari L, Sultan C (2024) Some Insights into the Impact of Exposure to Synthetic Sex Hormones on the Human Cen tral Nervous System: A Never-Ending Story. J Sexual Med Reprod Health