Hormonal balance is foundational to women’s overall health, influencing everything from menstrual cycles and fertility to mood, energy, metabolism, and long-term well-being. Key hormones like estrogen and progesterone fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, while insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones also play critical roles. Imbalances can arise from various factors, including stress, poor sleep, and environmental exposures, often manifesting […]
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products
The average menstruator will use over 11,000 tampons or sanitary pads in their lifetime. Vaginal and vulvar tissue that touch pads and tampons is highly permeable. Through this permeable tissue chemicals are absorbed without being metabolized, which makes endocrine-disrupting chemicals potentially dangerous when found in menstrual products. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with human hormones and […]
DDT exposure in grandmothers linked to obesity, earlier periods in granddaughters
In the first study to report on the health effects of exposure to a toxic environmental chemical over three human generations, a new study has found that granddaughters whose grandmothers were exposed to the pesticide DDT have higher rates of obesity and earlier first menstrual periods. This may increase the granddaughters’ risk for breast cancer […]
Breast cancer: The risks of brominated flame retardants
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are found in furniture, electronics, and kitchenware to slow the spread of flames in the event of a fire. However, it has been shown that these molecules may lead to early mammary gland development, which is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The study on the subject by Professor […]
Chemicals in lavender and tea tree oil appear to be hormone disruptors
A new study lends further evidence to a suspected link between abnormal breast growth in young boys — called prepubertal gynecomastia — and regular exposure to lavender or tea tree oil, by finding that key chemicals in these common plant-derived oils act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The study results will be presented Monday at ENDO 2018, […]
Plastics pose threat to human health
Plastics contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that threaten human health. An authoritative new report, “Plastics, EDCs, and Health,” from the Endocrine Society and the IPEN (International Pollutants Elimination Network), presents a summary of international research on the health impacts of EDCs and describes the alarming health effects of widespread contamination from […]
Research adds evidence that weed killer glyphosate disrupts hormones
New research is adding worrisome evidence to concerns that the widely used weedkilling chemical glyphosate may have the potential to interfere with human hormones. In a paper published in the journal Chemosphere titled Glyphosate and the key characteristics of an endocrine disruptor: A review, a trio of scientists concluded that glyphosate appears to have eight out of ten key characteristics associated […]
BPA levels in humans dramatically underestimated, study finds
Researchers have developed a more accurate method of measuring bisphenol A (BPA) levels in humans and found that exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical is far higher than previously assumed. The study, published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on Dec. 5, provides the first evidence that the measurements relied upon by regulatory agencies, including the […]
Endocrine disruptors in soy products
On the basis of a laboratory test on soy products, revealing particularly worrying levels of phytoestrogens, compounds strongly suspected to be endocrine disruptors, the UFC-Que Choisir seizes the ANSES and the DGCCRF to enhance safety and information on food products containing them. In the meantime, the Association is making recommendations to consumers to limit their exposure […]
Hair products for Black women contain mix of hazardous ingredients
First study to measure range of hormone disrupting chemicals in products used by Black women A new report published in the journal Environmental Research shows that Black women are potentially exposed to dozens of hazardous chemicals through the hair products they use. The study, by scientists at Silent Spring Institute, is the first to measure concentrations of endocrine-disrupting […]