endocrine disruptors, reducing chemical exposure during pregnancy

Ways to decrease chemical exposure

Simple ways to decrease chemical exposure

endocrine disruptors, reducing chemicals, chemicals affecting fertility

There are many chemicals in our daily lives which are known as endocrine disruptors. This basically means they are disrupting your hormones which adversely affects male and female fertility. Luckily there are some really simple ways to reduce your exposure!

 

1. Containers

  • Where possible use glass containers to store food. If using plastic let your food cool down before putting it into the containers and never heat it up in the plastic containers. Put it in a proper bowl and heat it in that.
  •  Buy a glass water bottle and coffee cup. As these are items we use daily they are really worthwhile investments both for the environment and our hormones.

2. Cleaning

  •  Use natural cleaning products around the house. White vinegar and baking soda will cover most things but there are many more ideas in our “Natural cleaning products and pregnancy ideas | FPAC” article. If you aren’t really into DIY versions we also include links to companies who have great natural products for sale without all the chemicals we are trying to avoid.

3. Receipts

  •  Avoid receipts from stores as these are coated with BPA. If you need it get the shop attendant to put it in your shopping bag for you and then put it where it needs to go. Don’t leave it in your wallet to brush your fingers over it repeatedly.

4. Fragrances

  •  Avoid artificial fragrances. This includes fragrances in perfumes, scented candles, air fresheners, hairsprays, fabric softeners, washing powders, bath oils etc. I know this is a long list but you don’t have to think you need to go without these things you just need to buy non-toxic ones. You can buy safe products from BIOME or Nourished Life as they have done all the work for you in checking out ingredients. If you like to do this sort of research yourself, then there is a great App called “Chemical Maze”, which you can use to check the safety profile of all sorts of chemicals and food additives. One super easy way to reduce your chemical load is to buy sensitive washing powders as these are fragrance free. A great brand to grab from the supermarket is Aware Sensitive, none of the nasties and easy to get!

5. Personal products

  •  Buy non-toxic personal products including make-up, cleanser, moisturiser, shampoo etc etc. Again you can either do the research yourself or buy from Biome or Nourished Life.

6. Food

Finally, don’t let this overwhelm you. You don’t need to do everything at once. Just start somewhere and the rest will slowly follow. Reducing any chemical exposure is better than none at all. And remember both eggs and sperm are adversely affected by these chemicals. Everyone will benefit from limiting their exposure.