Hormones, Fertility, & The Environment
Intro
Many times when people experience hormone imbalance, they look from within for answers. While, yes, the internal approach is key to achieving a state of balance, looking at one’s environment is important too! In this blog post, I hope to share some interesting bits of research that demonstrate how different elements in one’s environment can contribute to a state of hormone imbalance and play a role in fertility.
5 topics you will learn this blog post:
What environmental medicine is & why it’s important to consider when optimizing health and wellbeing
Research on air quality/pollution on hormones & fertility
Food contaminants that influence hormones
Research on chemical in personal care products and hormones
Racial health disparities & its connection to environmental exposures
1) What is environmental medicine?
Environmental medicine is a field of medicine where the environment and human health intersect. Environmental compounds, called “excitants”, can exert adverse effects on cellular and organ function. And, depending on one’s personal exposure and “total load” of multiple environmental excitants AND their personal predispositions (genetics, nutrient status, physical and emotional stressors, etc.), they may start to express disease/symptoms. And, there are a slew of environmental excitants that may contribute to female and male hormone imbalance, and some will be talked about below.
2) Pollution/air quality on fertility
Pollution
A lot of people focus on personal care products as a source of environmental excitants that are connected to issues with fertility and hormones, and seem to forget about other things in the environment. Pollution is an important environmental factor to consider as literature reveals that:
Women living closer to major roads that are a source of traffic pollutants have been shown to have a higher risk of infertility compared to women living far from a major road. Additionally, exposure to traffic pollutants have been associated with (but not significantly) miscarriage.
Nitric oxide pollution has been shown to be associated with lower live birth rates in those who underwent IVF, and has been associated with higher miscarriage rates in the general population.
Air pollution by means of traffic pollutants and diesel exposure has been connected to decreased sperm motility and low sperm count.
Overall, there is definitely a connection between pollution and fertility. But, more high-powered studies need to be completed for us to really understand what specific pollutants in traffic pollution contribute to fertility issues.
3) Food contaminants & hormones
Mold/Mycotoxins
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 25% of the world’s crops are contaminated by mold and fungal growth, with most mycotoxin exposure being oral. Mycotoxins are compounds that come from mold species, and different mold species release different mold toxins.
Zearalenone, a mold toxin made by the mold species Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmonum, can be found in foods and has been shown to bind onto and activate estrogen receptors, which may influence or worsen symptoms of relative estrogen dominance. In addition to this, zearalenone has also been shown to stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells.
Phthalates
Phtahalates are plasticizers commonly found in food, but can also be found in vinyl flooring, clothing, detergents, personal care products, and more. Literature revealed that chronic exposure to low levels of phthalates changes intestinal microbiome populations in animal models leading to lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria. This is important to know since butyrate is an important compound to maintain gut cell and gut lining integrity. Phthalates have also been shown to have anti-androgenic activity, potentially reducing the effect of testosterone. It has also been shown to have estrogenic activity, which could be problematic in those with symptoms of relative estrogen dominance.
4) Personal care products & hormones
Plastics/Bisphenol-A (BPA)
Bisphenola-A (BPA) is a common chemical used in plastics, and is a common environmental excitant that people mention about when talking about hormones. Why? BPA has been shown to have estrogenic properties, which could be problematic for those with symptoms of relative estrogen dominance. BPA can be found in many products, such as personal care products, food packaging, and more.
Triclosan
Triclosan is a common antimicrobial compounds used in more than 2000 consumer products, such as toothpaste, mouth wash, clothes, toys, kitchenware, and more. And, studies shown that triclosan can impact gut health and lead to reductions in beneficial bacteria in the gut of animal models and that triclosan can be passed on from mother to child via breast milk.
Science also shows that tricolsan has weak anti-androgenic effects in animal models, specifically leading to lower levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone. Triclosan has also been shown to disrupt thyroid function in animal models, with scientists finding low levels of T4 and T3 hormones in those exposed to triclosan.
“Fragrance”
Synthetic musk fragrance has been shown to have estrogenic effects, specifically musk xylene and musk ketone. Additionally, lavender-fragranced products have been shown to have estrogenic qualities and anti-androgenic properties.
Benzones
Benzones can be found in sunscreens as a chemical UV filter and have been shown to have estrogenic properties in animal models and have been shown to negatively impact their reproductive abilities.
Recently, there has been controversy about benzenes in sunscreen, and there has been confusion about whether benzones can turn into benzenes. Benzone has a completely different chemical structure to benzene, and from what we know about benzone so far, benzone does not degrade into benzene in sunscreen products. Nevertheless, I personally still try to use SPF products with mineral sunscreens, such as zinc oxide and/or iron oxide.
As a person of color, I find that using mineral sunscreens can leave a white cast, which makes using mineral sunscreens annoying. And because of this, I can understand why people with melanin-rich skin may prefer to choose chemical UV filters over mineral sunscreens, as chemical UV filters do not leave white casts. However, I have found that iron oxides can blend well with my skin tone!
5) Health disparities & The Environment
Access to clean products can be a privilege, as cleaner products are marketed towards certain populations and with cleaner products sometimes being costlier. Some people can be exposed to more environmental excitants, and can experience more health issues. A big example is how research indicates that Black women are disproportionately exposed to hormone-disrupting chemicals in haircare products and are more likely to experience hormone related issues. Black women are most likely to be exposed to chemicals that have estrogenic effects & have higher urinary levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals (phthalates and parabens) compared to white women - suggesting that exposure to chemicals is being absorbed into their systems.
Research indicates that Black women are more likely to experience:
Being diagnosed and die from more-aggressive forms of breast cancer
Being diagnosed with more-aggressive endometrial cancer
Having uterine fibroids, and have fibroids at earlier ages than white women
Experiencing infertility
Having poorer IVF outcomes
& more
Haircare products commonly used by black women have been connected to hormone related conditions include:
Permanent hair dyes, especially darker hair shades, have been connected to higher rates of breast cancer in Black women.
Root stimulators, hair lotions, and relaxers that Black women commonly use had over 45 hormone-disrupting chemicals.
Hair relaxers were related to increased risk of uterine fibroids in Black women.
Even though that research does not directly indicate what specific chemicals and excitants play a role in the development of disease, it’s hard to deny that personal care products could put people at risk for disease. As we learn more about whether it’s one specific excitant or if it’s the combination of excitants, it’s truly important to be aware of what is in one’s personal care products, what is in one’s environment, and how all of that could play a role in health and wellness.
What are the next steps?
There are many more compounds found in the environment that could contribute to disease states than the ones covered in this blog post. Remember, there are multiple factors that play a role in the development of disease when considering environmental medicine & environmental excitants. With that, a person's "total load" of excitants is determined by 1) level and frequency of exposure, 2) genetic predisposition, 3) nutrient status, 4) underlying conditions, and more. And depending on this full, holistic understanding of a person's own health, one may or may not display symptoms.
3 actionable items now are:
Advocate for cleaner products: As illustrated above with racial health disparities and its connection to personal care products, advocating for cleaner products from companies could help a large number of people in the general population. Remember, we are able to shift what’s in the market with our dollar. As people move towards cleaner options, companies will make more clean products for everybody. In addition to this, we can also advocate for cleaner products by contacting our states representatives to urge the government to have tighter safety regulation on what is being put in personal care products and in the environment.
Reduce exposure: If someone is aware of their exposures and are experiencing chronic health issues, it may be worth their while to reduce their exposure to these environmental excitants. A start would be identifying what are some of the sources of exposure. A great source to learn what is in your personal care products is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic database. If the source is more environmental in nature, such as pollution, using a high-quality air filter may be of benefit in addition to keeping windows closed.
Reduce total load: If someone is very concerned about having higher levels of exposure and other factors that increase risk for a higher "total load" of excitants, consulting with a provider will be worth their while.
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