In a Frontiers in Public Health review article, researchers report on the wide body of science connecting adverse effects to the female reproductive system, such as infertility, with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs.
The authors call these effects a significant concern for public health, as there has been growing evidence of EDCs with risk factors for decreased fertility.
Infertility “affects a substantial proportion of the world’s population with approximately one in six people affected,” the researchers note.
They continue:
“Over the last 70 years, global fertility has been constantly in decline due to behavioral and societal changes … emerging evidence has shown that infertility incidence is linked to exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including pesticides (chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT] and methoxychlor), phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, and bisphenols.”
In this review, over 100 studies are summarized to showcase the link between EDC exposure and reproductive effects in women, including infertility and related diseases such as endometriosis, premature ovarian insufficiency, or POI, and endocrine axis dysregulation.
The studies included investigating the “mechanisms by which EDCs cause ovarian aging, folliculogenesis, decrease of oocyte quality, ovulation disorders, development and receptivity of endometrium, endometriosis, fetal development abnormalities, and epigenetics modulation,” the authors state.
Results from these studies show exposure to EDCs can lead to infertility and reproductive effects through various mechanisms. Altering the balance of any endocrines that impact reproduction can change fertilization outcomes.
The researchers say, “One of the most described mechanisms is when EDCs mimic hormones such as estrogen and bind to their receptors leading to hormonal disruption.” This can alter the ovulation process.