Did You Know Plastic Might be Driving Your Reproductive Hormone Problems?

Lets face it menstruation isn't easy for some women. A large proportion of women suffer from many side effects which can range from being uncomfortable to being debilitating. 

You might remember my article (Did you know your Period is your Report Card for the month?) where I discussed how your period is your report card for the month - as it tells you how you've been looking after yourself. For instance have you been eating well and drinking enough water, how stressed have you been and more. A good Naturopath will use these clues to uncover why you are experiencing symptoms around your period - because they are signs of underlying health issues or nutrient deficiencies. 

Did you know that inflammation is one of the key issues driving a wide range of reproductive health problems?

Our hormones are directly affected by a key inflammatory trigger that we are exposed to on a daily basis. These are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). 

These little blighters are considered environmental toxins, and they wreck havoc for us by entering into your bloodstream and mimicking your estrogen - but in a far more dangerous form. 

This leads to an increase in estrogen and this very imbalance is why you start to have a wide range of symptoms. Everything from chronic reproductive health conditions like endometriosis to PMS, bloating and fluid retention (noticed that you gain weight with menses or just before?), making you crave those sugary treats, wrecking your brain with headaches, destroying any sense of libido you previously had, making your breasts ache and not to mention period pain (dysmenorrhoea). Oh the joys of being a woman in this modern age!

The reason you have menstrual cramps might be attributed to magnesium deficiency, but it could also be due to higher levels of estrogen. This makes the lining of your uterus thicker, and of course this is more difficult to shed when you menstruate, resulting in the uterus spasming in an effort to remove it. Ouch!

Where do EDCs come from?

So your probably wondering where we find EDCs? Unfortunately they are coming at us from a number of directions. If you eat non organic food then you will have pesticide and herbicide exposure. If you use chemical based house cleaning or body products you will expose yourself to more EDCs. If you use plastic to store your food in, or even worse heat it in the microwave or freeze it in then this is another major risk for EDCs.

How do I avoid EDCs?

What can you do about it? Grow your food without sprays, and this includes avoiding the use of chemicals like roundup on your property. Or buy organic wherever possible. Investigate chemical free cleaning and body products - Ecostore has some excellent options. Start to store and freeze your food in glass, or at least BPA free plastic. 

Every little thing you can do will help - you and our planet.  

Shine bright!

Nic