Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and PCOS/PMOS

This is one of my favorite topics: endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDC's... lets talk about it.

A major review published this year in Nature Reviews Endocrinology looked at the growing link between everyday chemical exposure and female reproductive disorders, including PCOS/PMOS, earlier puberty, and premature menopause. The evidence is strong enough, not just by this study, but from analyses known for years and years...

EDCs interfere with the body's hormone signalling by mimicking, blocking, or altering the way hormones behave. The tricky thing is that exposure doesn't feel like anything, or there is no immediate reaction. And yet EDCs are present throughout the average home, in products most of us use every day without a second thought... you may be surprised at some of these products:

Fairy at the sink, Ariel or Persil in the machine, Lenor in the drawer, Flash on the surfaces, Febreze on the sofa. These are some of the most used products in UK households. But it's not just these, its also any products that lists "fragrance" on the label that can contain phthalates hidden within that single ingredient declaration. "Fragrance" or "parfum" can represent dozens of undisclosed chemicals, and research has found that nearly two-thirds of household cleaning products contain more than one EDC.

It doesn't stop there: your perfume, foundation, moisturiser, the scented candles in the living room (one of the biggest offenders in my opinion!), the plug-in in the hallway, your shampoo or hand soap - parabens, phthalates, and bisphenols turn up across personal care products too, adding to your daily load.

None of this is meant to be fear mongering, it's meant to be empowering. No one leads a perfectly toxin-free life, and association isn't the same as proven cause. But the evidence is strong enough to pay attention to, particularly if you're already navigating hormonal symptoms. We spend more time at home than anywhere else, and that's where we have the most agency to reduce what our bodies are dealing with every day.

So many women I see in clinic are either managing a PCOS/PMOS diagnosis, waiting for one, or sitting with a cluster of symptoms, including irregular cycles, elevated androgens, insulin resistance, or fatigue, that point strongly in that direction but haven't yet been formally named. The question of why this is happening so often doesn't always get answered.

PMOS is already one of the most common hormonal conditions in women of reproductive age. What the research is now showing is that EDC exposure appears to be part of the picture. Studies have found consistently higher levels of BPA in women with PMOS compared to those without, and elevated levels of PFAS, the so called "forever chemicals" found in non-stick cookware, food packaging, and water, have been linked to irregular menstrual cycles and ovarian dysfunction. Phthalates have been shown to interfere with ovulation and alter reproductive hormone levels including estradiol and LH.

These chemicals mimic or block estrogen and androgen signalling, exactly the hormonal pathways that are already dysregulated in PMOS. They're not the only cause, and genetics, diet, and lifestyle all play a role. But the idea that the products sitting on your bathroom shelf and kitchen counter might be adding to this chemical burden is worth knowing, as we have full control over what we put on and in our bodies, and what we fill our home with.

I know when you get into the research, it feels like it's asking us to throw out everything under the sink and start over. Small, consistent changes can add up and be powerful changes to hormonal health. I would start with swapping one product at a time, choosing fragrance-free where you can, and thinking twice about what you heat your food up in. Reducing total load is the goal, perfection is not.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, this maps onto something I think about a lot in clinic. The body has a finite capacity to process and clear what it's asked to deal with, and when that capacity is persistently stretched, the hormonal system is often where it shows up first. This might show up as irregular cycles, skin flares, fatigue, and even diagnosable issues like PMOS.

If you're navigating a PCOS/PMOS diagnosis, or still waiting for one, knowing that your environment is part of the picture, and that there are things within your control, is a reasonable place to land. Reach out if you want to keep the conversation going.

• Parent et al. (2025) 

  Parent, A.S., Damdimopoulou, P., Johansson, H.K.L. et al. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and female reproductive health: a growing concern. Nat Rev Endocrinol 21, 593–607 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-025-01131-x

  
  

• Kandaraki et al. (2011) - the BPA/PCOS link, direct measurement in women

  Kandaraki E, et al. Endocrine Disruptors and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Elevated Serum Levels of Bisphenol A in Women with PCOS. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(3):E480-E484. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-1658

  
  

• Gore et al. / Endocrine Society Scientific Statement - authoritative overview of EDCs and reproductive disorders including PCOS

  Gore AC, et al. EDC-2: The Endocrine Society's Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocr Rev. 2015;36(6):E1-E150. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2015-1010

• Dutta et al. (2025) - the most recent systematic review, published June 2025, covering a decade of human epidemiological evidence on EDCs and fertility including PCOS

  Dutta S, et al. Associations Between Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical Exposure and Fertility Outcomes: A Decade of Human Epidemiological Evidence. Life. 2025;15(7):993. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15070993