Exposure to a widely used herbicide during the second trimester of pregnancy may increase the chance of premature birth, before 37 weeks, a new study shows.
The investigation focused on glyphosate, the active chemical ingredient in professional Roundup products that are sprayed on commercial food crops such as grains and legumes, as well as residential gardens. Residues of this chemical have been found in cereals, snack foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
The new study, led by researchers at New York University Langone Health, looked at 1,450 women and found that those with higher levels of glyphosate in urine samples collected during the second trimester were more likely to have a spontaneous delivery before 37 weeks than those with lower levels of the herbicide.
This pattern was not seen when glyphosate was measured in the first months of pregnancy. The study also found no link between the chemicals and premature births induced by doctors for medical reasons such as pre-eclampsia or poor fetal growth.
Previous studies have linked heavy herbicide use among farmworkers to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other health problems, but less is known about routine exposures, such as from eating foods containing traces of herbicides. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80% of Americans may have detectable levels of herbicides in their urine.
Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that glyphosate exposure early in life can cause health concerns that can be felt throughout life. ”
Teresa Herrera, MPH, lead study author, doctoral candidate, Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal illness and death, and premature babies face higher risks of respiratory problems, infections, and long-term learning and developmental challenges.
Experimental studies in animals and cells suggest that glyphosate triggers inflammatory mechanisms that may lead to premature birth. But previous studies in humans have been small or inconsistent, Herrera said, and few have measured herbicides at multiple points during pregnancy.
Published in an online journal on July 14th environmental pollution, This new study is one of the largest to date examining glyphosate exposure during human pregnancy and preterm birth. The authors say they are among a select few who measure chemicals at multiple points during pregnancy.
For their analysis, the research team used data from the Children’s Health and Environment Study, which tracks family health from pregnancy to childhood. The women in the study were scheduled to give birth at New York University Langone Hospital in New York City between 2016 and 2019. Women provided urine samples once between 4 and 17 weeks of pregnancy and once between 18 and 25 weeks of pregnancy.
The team reviewed medical records to see how far along each woman was at the time of childbirth and whether the early birth was spontaneous or medically induced. Their statistical model also took into account other factors that may influence the risk of preterm birth, such as age, previous experience during pregnancy, and education.
By distinguishing between spontaneous and medically induced cases, the researchers found that glyphosate’s effects appear to be more closely tied to mechanisms that induce spontaneous labor, such as inflammation, than to the medical problems that prompt clinicians to induce labor or perform early cesarean sections.
Herrera said families concerned about herbicides may want to choose organic grains and produce when possible and discuss any questions with their health care provider. At the same time, she warned that the herbicide is so widespread in the environment that personal choice alone will not eliminate exposure.
“These results highlight the need for stronger regulations to protect the health of pregnant women and infants, who have long been known to be particularly vulnerable to chemicals in the environment,” said study lead author Leonardo Trasande, M.D., M.D., and Jim G. Hendrick, M.D., professor of pediatrics at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “Organic farming can produce competitive yields, so the trade-off between weed control and long-term health risks is not as simple as it is often made out to be.”
Dr. Trasande, a professor in the Department of Population Health and director of the Division of Environmental Pediatrics and the Center for Environmental Hazard Investigation at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, cautioned that the analysis cannot prove that glyphosate directly causes preterm birth.
The researchers next plan to examine the mechanisms by which glyphosate exposure affects fetal development and birth.
Funding for this research was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01ES032214 and ES036249.
Dr. Trasande has received support for travel expenses from the Endocrine Society, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, Japan’s Ministry of Environment and Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also serves on the boards of Beautycounter, Ahimsa, Grassroots Environmental Education and Footprints. None of these activities are related to the current study. The terms and conditions of all these relationships are governed by NYU Langone Health.
In addition to Herrera and Dr. Trasande, researchers from NYU Langone who participated in the study were Whitney Cowell, Ph.D., MPH; Kim Cajachagua Torres, MD. Natasha Ard, MD. Dr. Krungthachalam Kannan. Dr. Jeongmin Lee. Shilpi Mehta-Lee, MD. Dr. Menglin Liu. and Akgar Ghassabian, MD. Other study collaborators include Fiona Fragomen of Case Western Reserve University and Heather Burris, MD, MPH, of the University of Pennsylvania.
sauce:
Reference magazines:
Herrera, T. others. (2026). Association between glyphosate exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth: a longitudinal birth cohort study. environmental pollution. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128775. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749126011450?via%3Dihub
