Fertility and Our Beauty Routine
Are our beauty products impacting our fertility?
Written by Dr. Fiona Callender, ND
The answer to this isn’t necessarily straightforward. A lot of marketing goes in to making us believe we need cleaner products - for our homes, skincare, beauty products etc. Most of this is centred around minimizing endocrine disrupting chemicals - EDCs. These are chemicals that disrupt our hormones either by mimicking or blocking their actions. There is some research suggesting that some of these chemicals do seem to have some impacts on both male and female fertility to some degree.
That said, human studies are pretty limited - particularly for individual chemical effects on adults in the general population. The dose of chemicals and how long they study a group of people for definitely makes a difference as well. Defining what is a “safe” level for a product to contain, or for a person to consume, continues to be a challenge for researchers! From a practical perspective, it’s almost impossible to avoid all of these EDCs! When I am considering the health and fertility of my patients, I think about the context of their lives, what products they are using every day, and whether making changes will make a big enough difference for them. Fertility journeys can take months, if not years, for many people, and so the changes I suggest you make should reflect the fact that this is something I would be asking of you for the long-term.
Some of the main chemicals of concern are ones we have some control over, and some less so! One of those chemicals that tends to come up in the research is parabens. These are found in many personal care and beauty products and are added to help preserve shelf-life and prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Considering how pervasive they are, and that most people have some level in their blood already, this level of “control” might be low. Another chemical group that we have some concern over is phthalates. These are present in plastics but also in many personal care products and home goods that contain “fragrance”. It can be especially difficult - and likely of higher impact - for those who are exposed to high amounts of some of these EDCs in their place of work. Are you a person who works in a hair or nail salon? Or in a factory or lab where you are exposed to various chemical substances/fumes? These scenarios involve a higher load of exposure.
For the average person, some steps we can take might include opting for glass over plastic containers for food storage - especially when re-heating - and choosing personal care products with no “fragrance” or parabens. It’s not always easy to distinguish between what is marketed as “natural” and what really has minimal endocrine disruptors in them. Clean Beauty is a challenging and largely unregulated world to navigate!
By no means are we suggesting you do a complete overhaul of your cupboards or beauty supplies! We know this is expensive and unrealistic. Remember, we want this to be a routine that you could feel good about sustaining for months. The evidence is continuing to emerge and we will continue to adapt how we make recommendations. As it stands, from my perspective, it might make sense to make some shifts in some of the beauty products that you use daily or on a big surface area of skin - think lotions and body wash. These are products that you are getting a higher “dose” of. If you are into skincare and want to try a serum or have a product you love, you can probably keep it. We can work together to get you a routine that works and you feel good about. Replacing some products slowly over time (versus a big overhaul), wearing gloves and using ventilation when cleaning, and opting for glass over plastic when it makes sense for food storage/drinking are all reasonable starts!
Overwhelmed at the start of your fertility journey? Let’s chat through all of your questions and build you a plan that fits your life.