Chemicals and other substances that pollute the environment can also cause serious health problems in human reproductive health. There is increasing evidence that some toxic substances harm the body by disrupting the endocrine (hormone) system which regulates biological processes from conception to old age. Because a woman goes through several hormonally-influenced changes in her body across the lifespan (in-utero, puberty, pregnancy, menopause) she is at greater risk of experiencing reproductive problems including impaired fertility, miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, menstrual irregularities, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, breast cancer and early menopause. To learn more about this topic, download the free April e-newsletter called, Women and the Environment, created by the Institute for Women’s Health Research.
