146. Are Everyday Exposures Quietly Disrupting Your Hormones?

The products in your bathroom, your kitchen, and your environment may be quietly interfering with your hormones in ways that show up as irregular cycles, shortened luteal phases, unexplained infertility, or symptoms no one can quite explain. This is not a fringe concern. It is one of the most well-documented and least discussed contributors to hormone disruption in women and men today.

In this episode of Cycle Wisdom, Dr. Monica Minjeur breaks down exactly what endocrine-disrupting chemicals are, how they work in the body, and — most importantly — what you can actually do about them without overhauling your entire life. Through Dana's story, a health-conscious woman who ate well, exercised regularly, and still could not conceive after two years, you will see how cumulative environmental exposures can tip the hormonal balance in ways that standard lab work alone will never reveal.

You will learn:

• The five major categories of endocrine-disrupting chemicals — BPA, phthalates, parabens, PFAS, and pesticides — and where they hide in everyday products
• How these chemicals mimic estrogen, block progesterone receptors, and disrupt thyroid conversion in ways that directly affect cycles and fertility
• The practical "in, on, and around" framework for reducing your highest-impact exposures without feeling overwhelmed

If your hormone symptoms have never had a clear explanation, your environment may be part of the answer. Learn more or schedule a free discovery call at radiantclinic.com

Transcript

Speaker 0:01

The products in your bathroom, your kitchen, and your gym bag may be quietly interfering with your hormones in ways that can show up as irregular cycles, unidentified infertility concerns, or other symptoms that no one can quite explain. This isn't a fringe concern. It's one of the most well-documented and least discussed contributors to hormone disruption in women and men today. I'm Dr. Monica Minjeur, the host of Cycle Wisdom, where we help women and couples restore hormonal balance and reclaim their well-being through personalized healthcare grounded in clinical excellence. So let's start off today before we dive into endocrine disruptors talking about a past patient of mine who we'll call Dana. Now, Dana came to us as a very health-conscious individual. She exercised regularly. She ate well. She didn't drink alcohol, but she and her husband were unable to conceive after two years of trying. She had somewhat irregular cycles, and she had identified a shortened luteal phase but felt genuinely confused and increasingly hopeless. She had done everything right, exercised enough but not too much, ate clean, and she had no explanation as to why things weren't working. When she started working with us, we completed our detailed intake, which included a conversation asking about her daily activities, things like products she utilized, how often she ate out at restaurants, looking at her water source, any recent home renovations. And for the first time, we connected some of her daily exposures to the symptoms that she had. Her hormone panel evaluated showed that she had elevated estrogen, low progesterone, which was causing her shortened luteal phases, irregular and inadequate ovulation, and her environmental history showed significant ongoing exposures. For starters, she frequently used a plastic water bottle. She had fragrance-heavy personal care products and typically bought whatever was the least expensive organic option, and they had recently gone through a renovation in their home where they had new flooring installed months before her symptoms worsened. Now, the reality here is that for Dana, no single thing on this list was dramatic, but the cumulative load in addition to the ongoing hormone imbalance and stressors that she was experiencing were enough to tip her over the edge. Over the course of the next few months, we started to work on cycle regularity through balancing her hormones, decreasing the obvious exposures where we could, and- making swaps that were able to target where she had the most endocrine disruptors present in her system. Over the course of the next three to four months, she started to see much more regular cycles, a more adequate luteal phase, and is optimistic that these ongoing changes are going to lead to a successful pregnancy when she sees that everything has been more balanced So let's look at the big picture here. Most people have at least heard about endocrine-disrupting chemicals, but what they don't realize is that they mimic estrogen. They are found in thousands of everyday products, and oftentimes we don't know what they actually do. So in general, these endocrine-disrupting chemicals mimic estrogen, so they chemically look similar to the estrogen structure, which can tell the body, "Hey, I've got plenty of estrogen," or maybe even, "I've got too much estrogen," which can then block progesterone receptors. It can also suppress thyroid function and in some cases can disrupt the communication that takes place between your brain and your ovaries. Now, many of the large medical bodies in the United States, including the Endocrine Society, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the National Institutes for Health, have all issued statements on the reproductive risks that come along with endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure. And the challenge here is that there isn't one thing that people are exposed to that causes the problem. It's, again, the cumulative load across multiple daily sources, as was the case with Dana. And so a few myths to address before we jump into more of kind of what's going on here is that a lot of people think, oh, well, if it's sold in stores, if it's FDA approved, that it must be safe. And unfortunately, the reality is that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are largely unregulated, especially in the personal care space and household products in the United States. So just because something is deemed to be FDA approved or it can be sold on the shelves does not mean that it has gone through any sort of testing to determine what its long-term reproductive risks are. So we're going to talk a little bit today about the things you want to look for when you are evaluating some of these personal care products, and I promise I've got a framework to make it simple. So stay tuned for that The other big myth that we see is that people assume, well, you have to use massive amounts of it to matter. I have to take a bath in this particular sunscreen before it's gonna make a difference. And the reality is, is that the endocrine system operates in parts per trillion, which means microscopic amounts. So even small chronic exposures can have measurable effects. So think about things that we utilize every day, things like our drinking water, things like lotions or sunscreens or topical makeup. Any of these pieces can cause big problems when we have those ongoing exposures over time. The average American woman uses 12 personal care products daily, and each of these can contain multiple potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Again, I'm not here today to tell you to quit everything and never use deodorant or don't wear makeup, but I do want you to be aware of ways that you can understand, what is my exposure risk and where can I minimize that when possible? So let's back up a little bit and talk about how endocrine disruptors work. So I mentioned they mimic estrogen. Again, this chemical structure creates a relative estrogen excess even when your body's estrogen production is normal. So we can see cases where it looks like you may have estrogen dominance even if your lab level of estrogen appears normal. In many cases, again, this can block progesterone and testosterone receptors, which prevents the body's own hormones from doing their job. So if your body is saying, "I've got plenty and tons and bucket loads of estrogen," it can actually block the ability for your body to create these other hormones because it's overloaded on the estrogen. This in turn can disrupt thyroid conversion, and you've heard me talk a lot on this podcast about how thyroid and hormones go hand-in-hand, and when one is not doing well, the other oftentimes will struggle. When we have this thyroid conversion problem, you can have your thyroid gland working normally, but your body can have a more difficult time converting that thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland into the usable version of thyroid hormone, which is our T3, which ultimately is what needs to bind to your cells in order to get the thyroid hormone all the way doing its job. And again, because hormones operate in these tiny concentrations, even small exposures can shift the balance So the major categories that we wanna pay attention to, I'm gonna kind of break them up. And again, some of them have more problems than others, some of them lead to different concerns. But things that if you are evaluating a label or if you're looking for potential exposures, these are the broad categories that I wanna go through today. So there's going to be five major ones that we talk through. The first is going to be BPA. Now, most people have heard about BPA at this point in time. We know that it primarily is going to be found in plastics, but it can be also found on receipt paper. So yes, the shiny printed copies of receipts that we have, we can see significant amounts of BPA on those. It also can be present in many canned foods, so the lining of those cans oftentimes can have BPA in it. And all of these exposures to BPA have well-documented estrogenic effects. So the reality here is trying to avoid these things wherever possible. And in many cases, many companies are now switching over to products that are labeled specifically as BPA free. So if you're able to look for that, um, in your findings, is looking for something that says BPA free. The next category we talk about is phthalates. Now, this is word starts with a P, it's so P-H- phthalates. And phthalates include fragrances, many personal care products, flexible plastics. And the big problem with these is that they are linked to disruption of ovulation. Now, in some cases, it c- can completely impair ovulation from happening. In other cases, ovulation can still occur, but it can actually lead to a poor quality ovulation. We also oftentimes find that with phthalates that we are seeing anti-androgen effects or anti-testosterone effects. And most women realize that having some testosterone is good. We don't wanna have too much, but having too little testosterone also can cause significant problems with the rest of your hormone signaling, as well as things like decreased libido and fatigue and energy levels. So phthalates, unfortunately, no real amount of phthalates is considered safe. And we'll talk again about how we want to kind of manage which are the pieces that make sense for us and what we wanna look for in ingredient lists. The next category is going to be parabens. So parabens are preservatives, and they are primarily found in things like lotions, shampoos, and cosmetics. And again, the big problem with parabens is that they mimic estrogen The next category is going to be the PFAS, so the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Now, these are collectively called the forever chemicals. We've heard a lot more about them in the news recently, and they are typically found in things like non-stick cookware, water-resistant fabrics, food packaging, drinking water, and by and large, they are not reported all the time, and so this is where it can create significant confusion. PFAS are consistently linked to thyroid disruption, early menopause, ovulation dysfunction, and reduced fertility in both men and women. And so across the board, again, PFAS are considered a no-go when it comes to any level being safe. We always want to try and reduce our exposure, and again, we're gonna talk about ways that we can do that here in just a moment. And then the final category that I wanna mention is pesticides. So especially any organophosphates. These can all disrupt estrogen signaling and thyroid function Now, depending upon where you live, you may not be able to completely get away from these. These are oftentimes used in agricultural farming. They are used to kill insects and in many cases can create problems, again, with that estrogen signaling and thyroid function. So with some of these, it's going to be a matter of avoid what you can, and some of it's going to be a matter of try and do the best that you can because unfortunately, living in the world as it is today, it is very, very challenging to avoid all of these major categories. Now, how do endocrine-disrupting chemicals show up in your cycle and your fertility health? There are good studies done even back, like, 2015 and before that show that urinary BPA levels are associated with lower ovarian reserve and reduced fertility rates when those BPA levels are high. So this has been an ongoing thing that we have known about for quite some time. It just has not been addressed adequately in the space of conventional medicine. We know that many of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals are linked to things like earlier puberty, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, recently renamed from PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, irregular ovulation, shortened luteal phases, and even recurrent miscarriage. When we impact the clearance from the liver of excess estrogen, this contributes to that estrogen dominance, and in many cases, we're going to see weight gain, fertility struggles, shortened luteal phases, insulin resistance. We also oftentimes see with these a disruption of thyroid function, and this is one of the most common yet under-recognized mechanisms. Oftentimes in my practice, how this shows up can be from elevated reverse T3 levels and low total T3 levels. So your body isn't converting thyroid hormone to the active form of thyroid, which is T3, so it's unable to bind to your cells. Now, this can still manifest as seeming like you have completely low thyroid symptoms, but with a normal functioning thyroid gland And again, this is not just a female thing. We do find that endocrine-disrupting chemicals can impair sperm quality in males, and so it's a shared exposure issue. This is not just a female concern. So before you start panicking and freaking out about, "What in the world can I do? These chemicals are everywhere," I wanna talk through some practical swaps that can make a real difference. So the goal is never perfection. It's meaningful, prioritized reduction. And what I'd like you to think about are a couple of different things from a framework that is very commonly used in our world, and we say in, on, and around. So what that means is we want to start with prioritizing where your contact is the highest and most frequent things that go in your body, so things that you eat and drink. Second priority is going to be things that go on your body, so things you put on your body. And then the third is going to be things that are around you in your environment. So let's start with the things that you put in your body. This is primarily going to be things that you eat, drink, and let's not forget to include things like supplements and prescription medications. Now, one of the most common sources that we find for these forever chemicals or other endocrine-disrupting chemicals is going to be your drinking water. So always check to see what's in your local water supply. If you have a well, ch- get your well water checked. Make sure that wherever possible you are filtering your drinking water with a system that's rated for removing PFAS. Now, this does not have to be a fancy pants reverse osmosis system, although those are typically wonderful. Many charcoal systems with a charcoal filter can remove PFAS. Ideally, if you're able to buy organic for some of the foods that are considered higher in pesticide load, look for what that includes. So if we look at things like the Dirty Dozen, this is a way to look at the particular fruits and vegetables that are generally going to be higher in pesticide residue. So as of the time of this recording in 2026, that list includes spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens, strawberries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, cherries, apples, blackberries, pears, potatoes, and blueberries. If you are a fan of anything in those categories, we want you to focus instead on saying, "Okay, if it's going to make a difference, these are foods that I'm going to try and buy organic, buy from a local farmer who's not using any pesticides," ideally trying to make those swaps wherever possible Trying to avoid canned foods with BPA linings. And again, I have been seeing more and more that many companies are switching to a BPA-free lining. So if you're able to do that, that's fine. Otherwise, choose glass or a carton, or again, ideally if you can work directly with a farmer, that's always going to be the best option. And then finally, reducing processed foods that are packaged in plastic, particularly if you heat it up in those packaging. So although I'm a big fan of ease and convenience, ideally we don't want to be microwaving our frozen vegetables directly in that bag. We know from experience and from research that heating up that plastic oftentimes is releasing more of those chemicals. So wherever possible, even if you're going to use a microwave, put your frozen veggies in a glass bowl, add a little bit of water if you need to, put a glass lid on top, and cook it that way. That's going to be much, much safer from a standpoint of the plastic exposure. Next category is again on, so things that you put on your body, and fragrances are one of the most high impact swaps. Unfortunately, fragrances are a catch-all term that can contain hundreds of undisclosed phthalates, and by law, most products all they have to say is fragrance. They don't have to include what's in those fragrances, and again, that's oftentimes where we're going to find other things like those phthalates. So ideally, choose something that is fragrance-free or that has clearly disclosed ingredients. So maybe the fragrance comes from this and such flower, or maybe the fragrance comes from the oil of a lavender plant. Ideally, checking your personal care products, things like lotion, shampoo, deodorant, makeups, looking for parabens or synthetic preservatives. And one of the references that I do recommend is EWG's Skin Deep database. Now, they have some other products I don't typically recommend across the board, but the Skin Deep database is a free resource, and you do not have to pay to be a part of that Skin Deep database. So wanting to prioritize what stays on skin the longest over rinse-off products. So for example, if I had to choose between replacing my sunscreen or replacing my hand soap, I would choose first to replace my sunscreen because that stays on longer. Hand soap, yes, over time might be important to change, but again, it's something that you put on and then you rinse off really pretty quickly. And then the final category is things around you, things that are in your home environment. So consider things like replacing the non-stick cookware, things like Teflon. Consider replacing it with cast iron or stainless steel or ceramic. Yes, I realize it can be more difficult to clean all of these things. However, there are lots of tips and tricks in order to be able to do well with cleaning these products, and I promise you, you're going to decrease your long-term risk overall if you get rid of that extra Teflon in your world. Again, avoiding heating food in plastic containers, even if they say they're microwave safe, that plastic can leach chemicals when it is heated, and choosing fragrance-free cleaning products when available. Things like avoiding dryer sheets or synthetic air fresheners. Again, anywhere that we can get rid of these extra fragrances can significantly improve our exposure over time. And finally, removing your shoes when you walk in the door. I know it's one of those rules that oftentimes people think, "Oh, that just came from mom wanting a clean floor," but floors and dust and everything that comes in from the outside are a significant and underestimated source of pesticides and PFAS accumulation in the home. Again, anything that your feet or shoes have touched when you're outside now gets carried into your home, and then it's there to get worked up all the time. So my clear recommendation on this is not to feel like you have to change everything all at once. Again, it can be incredibly overwhelming, and so we'll talk through a couple practical tips on how to do this, but again, looking to prioritize changing first what goes in my body, then what goes on my body, and then what's around me in the environment So let's talk through a couple of questions that we commonly get asked in our practice. The first is, how do I know if endocrine disruptors are affecting me specifically? Is there a specific blood test I can do? Now, there are starting to be some blood tests that we're seeing come out, things like being able to check for PFAS, but there is not one test that looks for all of the endocrine disruptors. Instead, what we typically start with is looking for patterns that are going on, looking at your hormones, so evaluating for things like estrogen dominance, thyroid dysfunction, infertility without a clear cause, unexplained cycle irregularity, and all of these pieces can warrant additional environmental assessment. The other concern is that even if you have a blood test that says, yes, you do have PFAS, r- it doesn't tell us where you're getting that exposure. So again, just using a systematic approach to kind of figure out where might I be having significant exposures. And again, do these exposures impact men? And again, the answer is yes, significantly. Phthalates and BPA have both been associated long-term with reduced testosterone levels, lower sperm count, and impaired sperm morphology, or how the sperm look. Ideally, trying to reduce your exposure to these things prior to trying to conceive is relevant for both partners. Now, is it possible to avoid everything that's an endocrine disruptor? No, and again, that's not the goal. The goal is meaningful reduction of the highest impact exposures. I generally suggest swapping out three or four products at a time and your cookware, and this will address the majority of the burden for most people. I also recommend caution in using something that just says clean or natural or even organic. This doesn't always mean safe. I want you to work on focusing on products that have fully disclosed ingredient lists and no fragrance, parabens, or phthalates listed. One of my favorite apps to utilize is an app like Yuka. Um, that's Y-U-K-A. This is a great app that I use all the time when I'm in the store. You can scan a barcode, and it will tell you if there are any concerning features with this particular product. It also will often recommend another option that might be more healthy for you. So generally, the way that I went through things in my house is I said, "Let's start with the most common pieces," and then as I run out of hand soap, the next time I go to the store, I'm gonna get a healthier option. If I have something that is significantly problematic, I'm just throwing it out. So for example, we ran across some sunscreen a couple of years ago that had significant amount of phthalates that were not listed or disclosed. When I scanned it in my Yuka app, it said it was a big time problem. I just pitched that. In my world, there is no world in which we need to continue using a product, especially something that's going to be on my skin all day. So it's also important to make sure that you consistently, or at least annually I would say, recheck some of your products. Again, sunscreen, I'll use this as an example. One of our favorite sunscreens that we had previously used in my household, we went to purchase it again this year, and actually I just happened to scan it again on the barcode, and previously it had been something that was very highly rated as safe and effective and not any, uh, chemicals that were causing problems. And this year when I went to look at it, it actually had a red, uh, warning on it that said, "Do not use. Not recommended." And so when you do a deeper dive, this company actually had reformulated their sunscreen. And so even though they had many products that were more natural, many that were a mineral based, which generally in the sunscreen world is a good thing, they actually had to include some other problematic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which then shifted it from a good fit to a fit that was not so good. So I always just recommend keeping up to speed on that 'cause companies do change their formulations over time. So again, start small. Start with something that you can control. If you can do nothing else today, I generally recommend start with getting rid of your plastic water bottle. Switch to glass or stainless steel. Focus on what's coming in in my drinking water. Do I have a safer option? And then you can start to s- see what other changes can actually make sense for you. Imagine if every conversation about hormone health included a question about what a woman is surrounded by every day, not just what's happening inside her body, but what the body is being asked to manage from outside exposures as well. Imagine if reducing environmental exposures was treated as a standard part of hormone care, taught clearly and without alarm so that women could make informed changes rather than living in vague worry. Imagine if removing what's quietly getting in the way became as routine as taking your daily prenatal vitamin. One more step in creating the conditions the body needs to improve health and promote fertility

Speaker 2 25:10

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