Endocrine Disruptors—They’re Bad In Nail Polish And Worse In Birth Control

Apparently, they are, so much so that there’s a rise in ditching nail polish along with plastics, beauty products, and household cleaners that contain toxic endocrine disruptors. However, there’s another culprit most women aren't yet aware of – birth control. That’s right. While women are led to believe that birth control is a single or combination “hormone,” i.e. natural, they’re actually ingesting synthetics. And synthetic hormones are one among many compounds that are technically classified as endocrine disruptors.

The Endocrine System 

What is an endocrine disruptor anyway? First, we have to understand the endocrine, or hormone, system, which involves parts of your brain (the hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands), your thyroid and thymus, your adrenals, and your reproductive organs. Whether attempting to regulate hormones or assessing why hormones are out of balance, the endocrine system is the place to start. This also means that “hormone problems” are not the hormones’ fault per se; it’s likely an issue with the endocrine system because it’s a system – if one organ or feedback loop is out of whack, the rest of the system will be impacted. This means that healthy hormone balance starts with a healthy endocrine system and that any issue with the endocrine system can lead to a cascade of hormone problems. 

According to the FDA, endocrine disruptors “are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine systems, leading to adverse effects.” And, according to The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “Many chemicals, both natural and man-made, may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. Called endocrine disruptors, these chemicals are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems.” Whether masquerading as a natural hormone or hijacking a process altogether, endocrine disruptors are not to be trusted. Some endocrine disrupting chemicals you may have heard of are BPA, parabens, phthalates, pesticides, and of course, the synthetic hormones in birth control. 

Synthetic vs Bioidentical Hormones 

So since when did birth control classify as an endocrine disruptor? Unfortunately, it’s been this way since the beginning. When Dr. Pincus and Dr. Rock were first designing the pill back in the 1950s, they were aiming to replicate progesterone. But in the end, this didn’t happen. Instead, the project turned into the cheap mimicking of progesterone with the synthetic hormone progestin. 

Endocrine disruptors have a direct connection to increasing your risk of breast and cervical cancer.

The difference between progesterone and progestin is that one is a bioidentical and the other is a synthetic hormone. In other words, they are literally different compounds. One is extracted and duplicated from the natural source, while the other resembles it but is chemically different. While bioidentical hormones mimic the natural effects of naturally occurring hormones, synthetic hormones do not. In fact, in the case of progestin in particular, it tends to have the reverse effects of progesterone. For example, healthy levels of progesterone promote a healthy menstrual cycle and reproductive health. Women who are low in progesterone are often prescribed extra doses for overall health and to carry a pregnancy to term. Progestin, on the other hand, thickens cervical mucus and thins the uterine lining, which are some of the same consequences of women naturally deficient in progesterone. These effects discourage conception, which in the long run can lead to infertility altogether.

Endocrine Disruptors and Cancer

Not only are they just that, disrupting and detrimental to a woman’s overall health and well-being, but endocrine disruptors also have a direct connection to increasing the risk of breast and cervical cancer! That’s right, the same messaging that promotes proactive steps against breast cancer also heavily promotes birth control in the name of women’s liberation. Ironic? The National Cancer Institute backs the link between excess exposure to estrogen and progestin and increased risk of cancer. 

What about the women in these studies whose risk of other cancers decreased? Isn’t that reason enough to support hormonal birth control? While this may be a positive effect, why work against the body when the menstrual cycle is now believed to be a woman’s fifth vital sign? Why not work with the body instead of working against healthy hormone balance that sometimes, coincidently, results in a lower risk for cancer? If the goal is a healthy body, then, keeping this as the aim, we should take steps that lead toward that end, instead of paths that deviate from it. As for birth control, endocrine disruptors, and cancer, research also shows that reproductive and breast health start with balanced hormones. There are better ways to protect against cancer than to cause harm to another part of the body.

Closing Thoughts

Because the endocrine system plays such a major role in all things hormone-related, endocrine disruptors are a threat to overall health, not just reproduction. Endocrine disruptors are bad because they disturb, block, if not altogether shut down, a process of the body, including the menstrual cycle and reproductive capacity. Why work against our bodies when there’s so much to be lost? If we’re unwilling to compromise on nail polish we apply a few times a month, then why compromise on the synthetics we’re encouraged to swallow, inject, or patch on every day? 

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