Xenoestrogen Exposure Affects Early-Onset Puberty Among Young Girls in Western Saudi Arabia: A primary cross-sectional study

Abdulmoein Eid Al-Agha, Abdulaziz Mohammed Alkahtani, Ahmed Ali Basalama, Rehab Salah Aldin Alhindi

Background: To investigate the correlation between xenoestrogen and the impact on early pubertal development among young girls in Western Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 794 young girls. Data were collected between June 5, 2016 and August 25, 2016 from the Pediatric Endocrine Clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The clinical characteristics of the participants were recorded. Results: The mean age of the participants was 10.87 years. The most common xenoestrogen products used daily included plastic packaging materials (n=353; 44.5%), pesticides (n=351; 44.2%), and plastic water bottles (n=311; 39.2%); the least common product used daily was food preservatives (n=101; 12.7%). There was a significant inverse relationship between the use of plastic packaging materials and age of breast (p=0.027) and pubic hair (p=0.005) development. Furthermore, there was a significant association between the increased use of pesticides and early development of pubic hair (p=0.044). A total of 516 participants were yet to experience menarche, which represented 65% of the total sample size for this study. Conclusion: There was a direct relationship between the frequent usage of various xenoestrogen products and early development of breasts, pubic hair, and age of menarche among young girls living in Western Saudi Arabia.