Phthalates From Personal Care Products Tied to Higher BP in Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Higher concentrations of personal care products-associated chemicals may contribute to elevated blood pressure (BP) in pregnancy, according to a study published online July 13 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Kimberly L. Parra, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues evaluated associations between biomarkers of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and gestational BP. The analysis included 338 pregnant participants in the Environmental Reproductive and Glucose Outcomes study.

The researchers found that the prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was 12.7 percent. Higher urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate (MEP) and a summary measure of chemicals in personal care products (ΣPCP) were most consistently associated with systolic BP and diastolic BP elevations at visit 3 (median, 26 weeks of gestation). Higher concentrations of MEP (quartile 4 versus quartile 1) were associated with 4.59 mm Hg higher systolic BP. Higher ΣPCP (quartile 3 versus quartile 1) was associated with 5.78 mm Hg higher systolic BP. Higher concentrations of MEP and ΣPCP also were positively associated with diastolic BP elevations of 4.51 to 4.70 mm Hg. At specific time points, other phthalate biomarkers were associated with BP.

“While our study does not show that phthalates cause high blood pressure during pregnancy, it suggests that reducing exposure to this class of chemicals by limiting personal care products containing these ingredients, particularly those with fragrance, may be a way to address high blood pressure in pregnancy and improve pregnancy health,” Parra said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text