Chemicals in hair and beauty products can affect hormones, especially during pregnancy

Personal care and beauty products contain a variety of ingredients, usually including a variety of endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates, parabens, phenols, parabens, and toxic metals

A study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institutes of Health, published in the journal Environmental Research, studied the relationship between the use of personal care products and the level of sex steroid hormones, including in pregnant women Of estrogen, progesterone and thyroid hormones

The researchers collected blood samples from 1,070 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40 registered in the Puerto Rico PROTECT cohort.

As part of the study, participants performed physical examinations and completed a series of questionnaires, including their demographics, occupation, life>

Researchers have found that the use of hair care products, especially hair dyes, bleaches, relaxants and mousses, reduces the levels of sex steroid hormones, which play a vital role in maintaining pregnancy and fetal development

"The changes in hormone levels, especially during pregnancy, will have a huge impact.

The researchers also found that socioeconomic variables, such as income, education, and employment status, affect the use of personal care products by Puerto Rican pregnant women

Rivera-Nú?ez said: “Previous research has shown that non-pregnant people have also reported links between frequency of use and socioeconomic indicators such as household income and education

These researchers include individuals from the Rutgers Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, the University of Michigan, the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Georgia, and Northeastern University.

Journal Reference :

1. Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, Pahriya Ashrap, Emily S.