Having PCOS means I want to minimise any disruption to my hormone levels. There has been much concern about the adverse effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as bisphenol A (BPA) on our health. Research has shown that serum BPA concentrations in PCOS women were significantly higher than non-pcos women and it is thought this was due to the difference in androgen-related enzyme activity (Tsutsumi, 2005). What does this mean? Well for me it means I want to avoid anything that has BPA in it. At home I avoid buying cosmetics, foods, storage containers and cleaning products which contain or are stored in packaging that contains EDCs.
While it may be impossible to completely eliminate BPA at least I know by reducing it I am minimising any risk of hormonal disruption. You may have noticed the label appearing on products "BPA free", however new evidence suggests that these too may not be as safe as we think (Horan et al., 2018). As a safe bet, I opt for glass which is of course recyclable too. I opt for glass water bottles and in the home, glass storage jars.
References
Horan, T.S., Pulcastro, H., Lawson, C., Gerona, R., Martin, S., Gieske, M.C., Sartain, C.V., & Hunt, P.A. (2018 Replacement Bisphenols Adversely Affect Mouse Gametogenesis with Consequences for Subsequent Generations. Current Biology VOLUME 28, ISSUE 18, P2948-2954.E3, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Tsutsumi, O (2005) Assessment of human contamination of estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their risk for human reproduction. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Vol. 93, 2005 PP325-330
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