Hormone Disruptors or Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) are a class of chemicals that is showing up in our food and water supplies. Their role in affecting the development of male reproductive organs is well studied and well known unlike their role in women’s reproductive health which until recently was not clearly understood.
Women’s Hormonal Balance
Hormones of the female reproductive system which include estrogen and progesterone exist in a delicate balance, controlling a lifetime of reproductive cycles. These hormones which are made by the endocrine system are transported through the blood, and as chemical messengers they set up an intricate communication network between organs, the brain and different tissues. They work in concert with all the body systems, maintaining and controlling the development of the various systems including the reproductive system. A small shift in the balance can have disastrous effects on the reproductive system leading to a lifetime of ailments. Hormone disruptors are not normally found in the body, but once inside they interfere with the natural hormone balance by scrambling the messages that the hormones are sending. They do so by binding to hormone receptors sites which either result in the blockage of messages or the sending of faulty messages.
Hormone Disruptors Role in Women’s Health
Hormone Disruptors are a well known class of chemicals that are known to affect the development of male reproductive organs but until October 2008 the effect of hormone disruptors on female reproductive health was not looked at comprehensively. A group of scientists compiled data from a list of publications that related hormone disruptors with female reproductive disorders. The paper that was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, looked into ovarian disorders such as aneuploidy and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), disorders affecting the uterus such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids and miscarriage, breast disorders such as breast cancer, lactation abnormalities and disorders related to the onset of puberty. The researchers felt that the high incidence of the occurrence of hormone disruptors coupled with the decreases in conception rates were reason enough to study the impact of hormone disruptors on the health of the female reproductive system. The study concluded that was enough data to show a correlation between hormone disruptors and the disorders of the female reproductive system especially female fetal exposures. The study however pointed out that there were still gaps where more research is necessary.
Exposure to hormone disruptors
Exposure to hormone disruptors can occur virtually anywhere, through the ambient air, what we consume and drink and through contact with our skin. Research into the hormone disruptors has barely touched the surface as more hormone disruptors are being discovered regularly. A few of the well known hormone disruptors can be found in cigarette smoke, phthalates (group of chemical compound used as plasticizers), Bisphenol A (used in plastic products like sports water bottles) and in some pesticides like Atrazine. There has been progress made in banning the use of some of the hormone disruptors such as the ban on the sale of phthalate-containing children’s toys. The effect of these hormone mimics can be multigenerational affecting even two generations as in the case of Diethylstilbestrol (DES). Back in the late 1930s pregnant women were given DES to prevent miscarriages; not only were their daughters affected (infertility and cancer) but also their granddaughters (increased risk of cancers of the ovaries and uterus).
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