The University of Rochester Medical Center-led study is published in the International Journal of Andrology.

Because testosterone produces the masculine brain, researchers are concerned that fetal exposure to anti-androgens such as phthalates — which are pervasive in the environment — has the potential to alter masculine brain development, said lead author Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, director of the URMC Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, and an expert in phthalates.

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The study was published in the journal Midwifery and was carried out in primary care in the Västra Götaland region of Sweden.

“We have seen a major increase in the number of cases of chlamydia in Sweden over the last few years, and must find new ways of reaching out to boys with information if we are to reverse this trend,” says midwife Gun Rembeck, one of the researchers behind the study.

The study involved almost 500 17-year-old high-school pupils in western Sweden attending classes on risks, sexual behaviour, responsibility, condoms and Swedish law in respect of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). They were then invited to fill out a questionnaire anonymously.

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