Environmental Toxins and Hormones: What Every Woman Needs to Know

Environmental toxin exposure has always been a significant health issue, particularly with how it can increase inflammation and hormone health. In the last 30-40 years alone, approximately 350,000 chemical substances have been registered for production throughout the world. 

Most doctors and healthcare practitioners that I know were taught that environmental toxins aren’t harmful because “if you have a liver, you can detox them.” 

I have gotten into countless debates with other practitioners about this because this oversimplified narrative has done real damage. But fortunately, as science evolves, this is beginning to shift. 

A physician friend recently pointed out that four major medical journals have published studies in just the last two years linking environmental toxin exposure to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

A paper published last month connected environmental toxins to increased oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, atherosclerosis risk, and cardiovascular disease. As the evidence builds, this will become harder to dismiss or ignore. 

Going Against the Grain 

As a Mom, the practicalities of living a low toxin lifestyle feels particularly complex. Women are disproportionately exposed to toxins through daily products–body sprays, cosmetics, perfumes, face creams, scented lotions, and more. 

For kids the “normal” now includes plastic sippy cups, kids bath soaps with synthetic fragrances, mattresses with formaldehyde adhesives, artificially dyed snacks and everything wrapped in plastic. I constantly feel like I am going against the grain so I want to highlight why this is important and how I also approach this with clients. 

How Toxins Actually Mess With Your Hormones

Environmental toxins—heavy metals, air pollutants, pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates, parabens, and BPA—can hijack your hormone function. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can mimic your natural hormones, increase harmful estrogens, or block hormones entirely, affecting everything from your menstrual cycle to perimenopause to risk of cancer.

They also trigger oxidative stress, which sets off a cascade of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and lipid peroxidation. This contributes to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and other cardiovascular issues. 

What symptoms can manifest as a result?

• Fatigue and poor sleep 
• Period problems and heavier bleeding than usual
• Thyroid issues and sluggish metabolism
• Weight gain, especially around your middle
• Fertility struggles and low libido
• Skin issues like acne, rashes, hives and more
• Mood swings and anxiety
• Early or more intense perimenopause symptoms

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity. 

And that’s not to mention the impact that this has on babies and young kids given that these compounds are transferred through the umbilical cord and breastmilk. 

But Doesn’t Your Body Handle This Naturally?

You’ll hear two extremes: either we need to detox constantly because toxins are everywhere, or detox is nonsense because your liver handles everything automatically.

The reality is much more nuanced. Your liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs do work constantly to eliminate toxins. Your liver filters blood and processes chemicals for elimination through urine, sweat, and stool. 

But just because your liver is designed to detox doesn’t mean it can keep up with today’s chemical load. It’s not just your makeup bag. These hormone disruptors show up in food packaging, cleaning products, plastics, and even the air we breathe. 

Why Your Body Might Need Some Help

1-Chemical exposure has increased dramatically. 

A 2018 report identified over 10,000 chemicals allowed in U.S. food and food packaging. And that’s just our food! That includes hormone-disrupting plasticizers and preservatives that haven’t been properly tested for long-term safety. One study found that pollution-associated diseases accounted for nearly 16% of all deaths worldwide in 2015.

2-Your genetics play a role. 

Some people have genetic variations that make their detox pathways less efficient. Your liver detoxifies in two phases: Phase 1 activates toxins (making them temporarily more reactive), and Phase 2 neutralizes them for elimination. If either phase is compromised, you might be the person who gets a headache from perfume while your friend is fine.

Signs your detox pathways might need support: sensitivity to smells, frequent headaches, feeling sick around fragrances or chemicals, skin irritation or rashes or just generally feeling unwell after chemical exposures.

What You Can Actually Do About It

Here is how I think about environmental toxins and what I do in my own life. 

1-Reduce what you can control:

Work on redesigning your household and habits to remove any unnecessary exposure. If you can choose between organic and fragrance-free hand soap versus non-organic and scented, it’s a no brainer. Other ways you can do this: 

• Use glass or stainless steel instead of plastic for food storage as much as possible and avoid heating any plastic containers 
• Drink filtered water to reduce PFAS, lead, chlorine byproducts and more! 
• Ditch synthetic fragrances in candles, detergents, tampons (switch to pads), and body products. Shift to essential oils or unscented options.
• Buy organic for the produce highest in pesticides.

2-Don’t aim for perfection. 

Trying to eliminate every single toxin will drive you crazy and isn’t realistic. Do what you can reasonably manage, then let it go. Kids need to live their lives too. 

3-Eat foods that support your natural detox systems.

While the first step is removing toxins from your environment, the next step is to eat in a way that supports your detoxification capacity. Detoxification is a nutrient-dependent process. That means adequate protein, cruciferous vegetables, sulfur-rich foods, antioxidant rich foods and fiber. We focus on all of these in The Being Collective recipes and meal plans! 

4-Consider an infrared sauna. 

This is one of the most effective ways to eliminate heavy metals and fat-soluble toxins through sweat. A few sessions per week makes a huge difference. The most cost-affordable way is starting with a small sauna. Before we upgraded to our big sauna, we used the Solo Sauna by Sunlighten which I highly recommend. 

5-Get nutrigenomics testing done. 

Nutrigenomics testing can be so valuable for helping you better understand your body and the additional support that it needs. I’ve been running this in clients and my team of Dietitians runs it in their clients because it tells us about so much. I also highly recommend knowing your kids genetics prior to overwhelming their system with pharmaceuticals. 

My Takeaway For You

There is more and more science showing the importance of reducing exposure to environmental toxins for both you and kids. Your body is designed to handle toxins, but it wasn’t designed to adequately process the number that we are exposed to in modern day living. A little support goes a long way in protecting your hormones and your long-term health.