is carried out in the international HYPIEND consortium consisting of 14 partners from eight European countries. The project involves II Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education and the Department of Lifestyle Medicine of the School of Public Health of the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education. As part of this project, researchers from three countries: Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands, will investigate how chemicals called endocrine active compounds disrupt the endocrine system in pregnant women and young children. The results of the HYPIEND project are expected to help develop new screening methods for endocrine disruptors as well as new public health strategies and policies to minimise the exposure of the most vulnerable populations.
The project involves monitoring the health of more than 800 pregnant women and, later, their babies for 18 months with regard to the presence and effects of endocrine disruptors (EDCs), chemicals that are similar in structure to certain hormones, including oestrogen, progesterone or androgens. Elements of the project will include workshops and the use of a mobile application to reduce the level of exposure to endocrine disruptors in pregnant and breastfeeding women and their babies up to 18 months after birth. One of the aims of the research is also to evaluate the effectiveness of such activities.