# The effects of endocrine disruptors on the female reproductive system

## TL;DR

This review summarizes how endocrine-disrupting chemicals harm the female reproductive system, leading to issues like infertility and hormone-related diseases.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of the effects of specific endocrine disruptors on female reproductive health.

## Key findings

- EDCs disrupt the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis and affect reproductive hormones.
- Exposure to EDCs is linked to infertility, menstrual cycle disruption, and hormone-sensitive cancers.
- Common EDCs like bisphenol A and phthalates are associated with reproductive disorders such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

## Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a diverse, comprehensive group of mostly synthetic chemicals that disrupt many physiological functions in humans and animals. EDCs are particularly disruptive to the female reproductive system. Reproductive function in women is a dynamic process regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis. EDCs show their effects on the reproductive system through estrogenic, antiestrogenic, androgenic, and antiandrogenic effects or by directly affecting gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion. Disruption in the menstrual cycle, decrease in fertility, infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, early or delayed puberty, and hormone-sensitive cancers can be listed as the main negative effects of endocrine disruptors on the female reproductive system. In this review, findings on the effects of the most studied EDCs, bisphenol A, phthalates, methoxychlor ethane, tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, atrazine, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and micro- and nanoplastics on the female reproductive system are summarized.