Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals & Your PCOS Symptoms

PCOS Lifestyle

Nov 23

If you’ve spent time poking around my blog, you know that I like to shout from the rooftops that PCOS is a complex condition impacting our endocrine system, which means it has the ability to influence every aspect of our health and lives. As such, it’s crucial that we assess our lifestyle choices that directly impact our endocrine system. And yes, this means we have to pay mind to the products we’re using - some endocrine disrupting chemicals found in common household products, makeup, hair products, and more, can cause a myriad of issues. I was just as devastated as you might be that Lysoling the life out of the spider camping out on my bedroom wall may not be the most beneficial to my hormones.

What the heck are endocrine disrupting chemicals?

According to the Endocrine Society, endorcine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, are chemicals, or mixtures of chemicals, that inhibit the body’s hormones from functioning properly. In some cases, these chemicals mimic hormones in our body, block natural hormones, and can even increase or decrease levels of hormones in our body. This means endocrine disrupting chemicals can lead to some complications.

What can those complications look like?

Metabolic Dysfunction: So, you guessed it - EDCs can contribute to metabolic dysfunction - I know, I know, the last thing those of us with PCOS need is another thing making it more difficult to lose or maintain weight. The issue is that EDCs promote a cycle causing additional fat storage, and as body fat increases, even more EDCs are stored, further feeding the cycle of fat storage. Researchers have discovered that such elevated exposure to these toxins, or “obesogens”, may play a role in the obesity epidemic, since these chemicals interfere with energy metabolism and adipose tissue regulation. So, even with normal diet and exercise, EDCs can effectively activate “switches” in our bodies that tip the scales towards weight gain.
Reproductive Challenges: EDCs can mimic or block the effects of male and female sex hormones. Some of these inhibit enzymes responsible for the conversion of testosterone into estrogens, for example. EDCs often target the ovaries, impacting our ability to mature follicles that develop into fertilizable eggs. Regardless of our fertility goals, healthy functioning of our ovaries is essential because they produce estrogen and progesterone, which helps with bone health, mental health, sleep and sexual health. So, whether you’re trying to actively avoid or encourage pregnancy, healthy ovaries are important for everyone.
Inflammation: I know, I’m just raining on the parade. EDCs basically take all of our existing concerns for PCOS and just further exacerbate them. But don’t shoot the messenger! I want you to know these disruptors can also aggravate inflammation in our bodies because they activate macrophages, whose job is to initiate inflammatory responses. Now, not all inflammation is bad. It’s kind of a Goldilocks situation, we need the right amount of inflammation in our bodies to help prevent or fight infection. But the issue with EDCs is that they throw off the delicate balance between pro and anti-inflammatory responses. In PCOS, inflammation has a direct relationship with ovarian androgen production, which can exacerbate our symptoms tied to higher levels of androgens.
Gut Health: One of my least favorite symptoms I deal with when it comes to my PCOS is digestive issues. There’s nothing I love more than taking public bathrooms prisoner when I have the audacity to eat outside of the confines of my own home. (Pro tip: I travel around with Poo-Pourri) But anyway, I digress. EDCs can also cause gut dysbiosis and disrupt the gut-brain axis, thereby impacting the central nervous system and our entire digestive process. Sorry to be a party pooper (pun intended).

So what do we do?

This is definitely not an exhaustive list of ways EDCs can further anger some of our fave PCOS symptoms, but it’s a start. It’s impossible to completely eliminate our exposure to EDCs, but there are some choices we can make to limit exposure.

1.Dust and vacuum regularly

A lot of flame retardant chemicals, which contain EDCs, accumulate in the dust in our homes, so while it might be impossible to avoid these entirely from our furniture, electronics, and other products (unless we break the bank replacing everything with flame-retardant-free products), we can do our best to minimize our exposure to them by cleaning often. Just don’t show this to my mom, she doesn’t need another justification to pull out the vacuum every 7 minutes.

2. Choose nontoxic products when possible

Search for fragrance free products like lotions, soaps, cleaning products, and even laundry detergents. Bonus: if you have sensitive skin, fragrance free options are less likely to aggravate your skin. While it’s difficult to find truly perfect products, some brands I like are Method, Seventh Generation, and Mrs. Meyers. And yes, this does mean looking at your perfumes, makeup, shampoo, conditioner and more. A helpful website I like to reference is EWG’s Skin Deep to check out the products I use or am considering. Remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about doing the best we can.

3. Wash your hands often

Opt for nontoxic soaps that don’t have artificial fragrances and, believe it or not, you don’t want the antibacterial version. Wash your hands with soap and water often to remove any lingering EDCs. Brands are often a bit withholding about how their scent formulation, which is why generally it’s best to opt for fragrance free since it’s not entirely transparent. Some solid ones are Sally B's Skin Yummies, Attitude, and Everyone.

4. Swap your plastic where possible

Water bottles: I don’t know why but I get emotionally attached to water bottles. One time I kept one for 7 years because I justified it had gotten me through too many seasons of finals and midterms to let her go. But alas, I had to. I like the Brita Stainless Steel filtering water bottle. It has the added benefit of filtering your water, which is another way to limit your exposure to EDCs. If you don’t like that option, there are plenty of stainless steel alternatives, whether it’s HydroFlask, Klean Kanteen, or S’well, to name a few. Glass reusable water bottles are also a great option - check out Origin, for example.

Plastic food storage bags: There are many silicone reusable bag options, like Stasher and W&P. You can also opt for glass tupperware, which you can get from Pyrex, Bovado, or Prep Naturals, to name a few.

5. Pay mind to what you put into your body

Water: Drink filtered water, or if you’re feeling really motivated, find a natural spring near you. A super cool website that can help you with this is Find A Spring

Food: I know it gets expensive to try and eat organically, but certain pesticides are correlated with hormone disruption. Aiming to eat foods that are as close to whole as possible is key. And I’m not going to sit here and tell you from my apartment that barely gets sunlight because of the office building across the street to go and grow your food. I get it, it’s tough. But hey, if you have a green thumb then go for it. I can barely keep my artificial succulents alive.

Resources

So, that was a lot. Remember, it’s not about adopting every single one of these suggestions and completely uplifting your life. It’s about choosing what fits into your lifestyle that you can practically implement. And you can always do your own research with websites and apps like Think Dirty, EWG Healthy Living, Dirty Dozen, Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help with your product selection! Lastly, remember than just eliminating toxins and EDCs from your life won’t make your PCOS symptoms go away. Making these choices is one layer of a holistic approach to wellness for PCOS.