Chemicals in Your Home and Your Risk of Early Menopause

It certainly isn’t breaking news that some of the chemicals found in household products can put as risk for serious health problems. But while we tend to think of these chemicals as possible culprits in conditions like cancers, allergies, and asthma, you may not have considers that certain products may be adding to your risk of early menopause. These products include plastics, personal-care products, and other common household items.

Early menopause can cause several health and emotional problems for women. Most obviously, you’ll lose your fertility, which can be devastating if you still want to have children. And there are some real long-term health concerns. When you go through menopause and stop producing estrogen, you can have a higher risk of conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, and more.

So what’s a woman to do? Our homes tend to be full of so many products that contain chemicals that it’s hard to keep track of what might pose a threat. The best way to protect yourself from chemicals that may cause early menopause is to do your best to keep these items out of your home in the first place.

Avoiding chemicals is no easy task, as we’re surrounded by them these days. Fortunately, when it comes to early menopause, researchers think they’ve figured out which types of chemicals are suspect. They’re called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and they’re found in pesticides, metals, food additives, and products you use on your body (lotions and hair-care items, for example). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals don’t just raise risk of early menopause, the can also complicate reproductive function in men, can affect our immune systems, raise risk of breast cancer, and interfere with growth and development in children.

Even if we know we want to avoid these dangerous chemicals, it’s not always easy to know which products are safest. The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) helps make this easier by publishing lists of products that they’ve determined are safest. So when in doubt, turn to this helpful resource before you bring a product into your home that you’re not sure about.

Contact us to learn more about early menopause, menopause, and overall women’s wellness.