More and more women are feeling the effects of disrupted hormonal and reproductive health. Girls are entering puberty earlier, PMS is more intense than ever, and PMDD is no longer a rarity. Irregular and painful periods, heavy bleeding with clots, cycles without ovulation, secondary amenorrhea, reduced fertility, and chronic inflammatory gynecological diagnoses have become the new norm, but they shouldn't be.

Despite all this, there is still too little talk about how environmental factors and chemicals in everyday life affect women's health. One reason is the gender gap in science. Until the early 1990s, women were almost completely excluded from clinical research, and much of the data on which we base medical recommendations today comes from studies on men or animal models. The female hormonal system was considered, and still is, sometimes considered “too complicated” due to hormonal fluctuations during the cycle, so research on topics that are crucial for almost half of the world's population was avoided for years.

Today, we finally have better data that clearly show that hormonal disruptors play a significant role in disrupting women's health.

What are hormonal disruptors?

Endocrine disruptors are natural or synthetic chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of the hormonal system. They can mimic the action of hormones, block their receptors, or interfere with the signaling pathways responsible for regulating bodily functions.

According to the Endocrine Society, of the more than 85,000 new chemicals developed in the past few decades, over 1,000 act as endocrine disruptors .

The good news is that the European Union is actively evaluating these substances. There is a list of substances that have been identified as disruptors and an even larger list of those that are currently being evaluated. It is our choice as consumers, but also as brands, to avoid both confirmed disruptors and those that are currently only “suspected”.

Wild Mallow therefore relies on raw materials approved by certifying bodies such as COSMOS , Ecocert and Natrue because these institutions conduct rigorous composition and safety checks.

How do hormonal disruptors work?

The endocrine system functions like a sophisticated communication system. Hormones bind to specific receptors, like a key that fits perfectly in a lock, and trigger precise biological reactions. Hormonal disruptors disrupt this mechanism in two main ways.

Hormone disruptors are agonists that mimic the action of the body's hormones. You can think of them as hairpins that you can use to open a lock instead of a real key. They can activate receptors and trigger a reaction, but not in the same way or with the same precision as a natural hormone. When there are too many of them, the body can receive distorted signals and lab results can come out high, low, or just plain abnormal.

Hormone disruptor antagonists bind to the receptor but do not activate it. Imagine sticking gum in all the locks that prevents the right key from entering. The body can produce perfectly normal levels of hormones and the tests will look flawless, but the hormones have nowhere to bind. The function is disrupted and the problem exists even though the lab parameters look perfectly normal.

Therefore, everyone benefits from avoiding hormonal disruptors. This does not mean that we have to isolate ourselves from hormonal disruptors, that is impossible and unrealistic to expect. But this knowledge gives us a good incentive to reduce our exposure as they affect the body and women's health.

Where can we find hormonal disruptors?

Hormonal disruptors can be found in food, drinks, foods treated with pesticides, in make-up and decorative cosmetics, cleaning products, dishes, materials, and basically everywhere.

For example, we will mention several well-studied endocrine disruptors:

• Bisphenol A is found in plastic products and epoxy resin, is used in the manufacturing and coating of various products, including food and toys, and can be found in the inner linings of canned foods. It is associated with menstrual irregularities, severe PMS symptoms, insulin resistance, estrogen-progesterone imbalances, reduced egg quality, and implantation difficulties.
• Dioxins are produced as a byproduct of the processing and bleaching processes of natural materials such as paper or cotton. In the context of women's health, dioxins can also be found in menstrual pads made from cotton grown conventionally, which uses pesticides and herbicides. Dioxins have been strongly linked to endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, ovulation disorders, estrogen imbalances, and chronic inflammation.
• Phthalates are a large group of compounds that we think are important for you to know about because they are found in hundreds of products, including cosmetics. Phthalates can be found in nail polish, hair spray, lotions, shampoos, and even cleaning products. They often have antiandrogenic and estrogenic effects and are associated with irregular cycles, anovulation, PCOS, intense PMS, a higher risk of premature ovarian failure (so-called premature menopause), and changes in thyroid function.
• Triclosan is added to antimicrobial and personal care products. Triclosan disrupts the thyroid gland, alters metabolism and sex hormone signaling, and can affect cycle length, ovulation, and PMS symptoms. It also disrupts the microbiome of the skin and mucous membranes.
• PFAS , or "forever chemicals," are found in waterproof and grease-resistant materials, Teflon cookware, and the like. They are associated with menstrual cycle disruption, thyroid function, and estrogen metabolism disorders, as well as reduced fertility.
• Parabens are common preservatives in cosmetics such as shower gels, lotions, shampoos, deodorants and baby care products. They are associated with changes in cycle length and regularity, mastalgia and effects on breast tissue due to their estrogenic effects.

How do they affect women's health?

Scientific evidence increasingly clearly links endocrine disruptors to disorders of the menstrual cycle, ovulation, thyroid, immunity, and reproductive systems.

They are particularly associated with:

• PCOS

• female and male infertility

• early puberty

• endometriosis and myomas

• hormone-dependent cancers

• metabolic disorders

• autoimmune diseases

• chronic gynecological inflammations

The greatest and most long-lasting effects occur in the prenatal period, childhood, and adolescence , when hormones are crucial for brain development, the reproductive system, and immune function.

Early puberty in girls, linked to exposure to hormones and pesticides from food, is an additional cause for concern because early menarche increases the risk of hormone-dependent cancers later in life.

And so we have two options...

Ultimately, as consumers, but also as producers, we have two options - to be proactive or to be reactive. Proactivity means using the information we have in a timely manner, before problems arise. Reactivity means waiting for a disease, diagnosis, or symptoms that may be avoidable.

As someone who has been educating about low tox living for eight years, I believe that being proactive pays off. That's why Wild Mallow will always choose ingredients in its products that carry 0% phthalates, parabens, triclosan, suspected UV filters, and all confirmed or potential endocrine disruptors . For us, prevention is not marketing, but a responsible value that we carry as a brand.