Correlation between Exposure to Magnetic Fields and Embryonic Development in the First Trimester

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between maternal magnetic field (MF) exposure in daily life and embryonic development. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 149 pregnant women who were seeking induced abortion of unwanted pregnancies. Participating women were asked to wear an EMDEX Lite magnetic field meter for a 24-h period to obtain MF exposure level within 4 weeks following the abortion. Embryonic bud and sac lengths were measured through B-mode ultrasound before the surgical abortion. Embryo sections were prepared and examined for histological changes, and the apoptosis status of the deciduas was examined using the TUNEL apoptosis assay. RESULTS: Embryonic bud length was inversely associated with maternal daily MF exposure level; the association was statistically significant at the time-weighted-average and 75(th) percentile of MF exposure levels, with coefficients of −3.09 (P = 0.0479) and −3.07(P = 0.0228), respectively. Logistic regression for examining the risk of higher MF exposure indicated that women with her 75(th) percentile of daily MF measurements ≥0.82 mG had a 3.95-fold risk of having a fetus with a shorter embryonic bud length than those whose daily MF exposure were <0.82 mG. MF exposure was associated with a higher degree of apoptosis, but the association was not statistically significant. We failed to find a statistical correlation between MF exposure and embryonic sac length and histological changes in the first trimester. CONCLUSION: Prenatal MF exposure may have an adverse effect on embryonic development.