ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES AND APPROACH The objectives of this work have been to identify human reproductive toxins and through an understanding of their mechanism of toxicity to develop appropriate treatments. These objectives have been based on the fact that most causes of human reproductive failure have not been identified. For example, although birth defects occur at incidences of between 3% and 7% of all births, the Teratology Society usually estimates unknown etiologies as high as 80%. Similarly, although fetal losses (such as spontaneous abortions) during pregnancies have been found to be as high as 62% of all initiated pregnancies, again, causes have rarely been identified. Epidemiological approaches, although essential to confirm the identity of such toxins, have been too insensitive for the initial identifications of reproductive toxins. Animal studies, although essential to investigate mechanisms of toxicity, have not been useful to identify human reproductive toxins because of differences in sensitivities between humans and animals as well as between individuals.
