Association of Increased Prenatal Estrogen With Risk Factors for Schizophrenia

The author previously described a theoretical cause of schizophrenia based on the effects of estrogenic endocrine disruption. In the current review, the author describes how increased estrogen during pregnancy increases susceptibil-ity to certain viral infections associated with increased risk for schizophrenia. The review further discusses how prena-tal estrogen exposure could explain associations of schizo-phrenia with autoimmune diseases, urban environments, and stress. Based on the association of increased estrogen with schizophrenia risk factors, the author proposes in-creased prenatal estrogen as a unifying factor, perhaps the primary event, in the etiology of schizophrenia