Endocrine Disruptors & Fertility

Are the products you're using creating a hormonal imbalance? Did you know that the chemicals in everyday products could be harming you? Some of the things you use, eat, and drink every day have chemicals in them that could be causing fertility issues without you even realizing it.

I find this topic fascinating, especially since learning about endocrine disruptors and how things we use every day are loaded with them.  Endocrine disruption occurs when natural or man-made substances get in the way of the body's endocrine system; they are called endocrine disruptors.  They can copy, block, or otherwise mess up the effects of natural hormones, which could cause a number of health issues.  A lot of everyday items, like some cosmetics, food and drink packaging, toys, carpet, and pesticides, contain chemicals that mess with hormones.  There are chemicals that can stop fires but may also mess with hormones.  These chemicals can get into your body through food, water, skin, and the air.  You can't completely stay away from or get rid of EDCs, but you can make choices that lower your exposure and risk of any possible health effects.

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can make it harder for men and women to get pregnant. They can be found in many products and in nature.  They might mess up the endocrine system's normal work, which is in charge of making and controlling hormones. This could have an effect on reproductive health.  EDCs can mess up hormone levels, lower the quality of sperm, and stop oocytes from maturing properly, all of which can make it hard to get pregnant.  People can be exposed to endocrine disruptors through the food and drinks, the pesticides they use, and the cosmetics they use.  Basically, you can come into contact with these chemicals through food, water, air, and skin. Do you notice a trend in how you come in contact with it daily?

Chemicals that mess with hormones may be dangerous in even small amounts. Hormone levels change very little in the body for normal endocrine functioning, but we know that even these small changes can have big effects on development and biology. Because of this, scientists believe that even small amounts of chemicals that mess with hormones can affect the body's delicate systems and cause health issues.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1466967/full

To lower your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), choose organic foods, wash fruits and vegetables well, stay away from plastics and canned foods, and use personal care products without scents.  Get a water filter, wash your hands often, and dust and vacuum your home often as well.  A diet low in sugar and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with regular exercise and enough sleep, is known to improve health as a whole. Read product labels for skincare items and choose ones that have ingredients you can pronounce, or buy locally from a vendor/farmers market where people typically tend to sell products they have made. New research suggests that incorporating these changes may lessen the effects of EDCs you encounter on a regular basis.

Now that you know what the dangers of EDCs are and how you come in contact with them, you can help spread the word. But will you? We all have the power to educate ourselves and others on the dangers of EDCs and what we can do to try to avoid them. Each one, teach one!

Reference:

Front. Public Health, 11 December 2024

Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome

Volume 12 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1466967

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine

Stetler, C. (2024, July). How can you reduce health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals?. Environmental Factors. https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2024/7/science-highlights/endocrine-disruptors