It is beyond a doubt that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) impact the health of humans and the environment globally. Surprisingly, we still don’t know exactly how EDCs can harm female reproductive health. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), a member of the EDC-Free Europe campaign, has teamed up with the FREIA project to launch a factsheet and infographic to introduce this research project and to illustrate how EDCs affect women’s health.

The factsheet and infographic launched today give an overview of what is currently known about EDCs and their impact on women’s reproductive health, and highlights the challenges ahead to adequately regulate EDCs in European chemical regulations.

Reproductive health disorders in women are often related to hormonal disbalance. In addition to risk factors such as age at first childbirth, breastfeeding, obesity or smoking, EDCs can affect a woman’s reproductive health. These chemicals can disrupt hormones at any life stage, from conception to adulthood, which in turn can lead to a range of serious health problems such as breast cancer, endometriosis or infertility.

FREIA – named after the Nordic fertility goddess – is an EU-funded research project dedicated to advance test methods to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals that are toxic to women’s health. By engaging with stakeholders such as HEAL, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), the FREIA consortium aims to:

  • Gain new understandings and insights into adverse effects of endocrine disruption on women’s health.
  • Develop new test methods and improve existing ones to detect EDCs toxic to female reproduction and support protective regulation.
  • Promote sustainable options for a healthy society and improve women’s health.

Resources:

  • Factsheet ‘The FREIA Project – Endocrine disrupting chemicals and women’s reproductive health’. Available in English and Dutch (March 2020)
  • Infographic ‘The FREIA Project – Endocrine disrupting chemicals and women’s reproductive health’, available in English, Dutch and French (March 2020)
  • Webinar recording and slides – Introducing the FREIA Project: Safeguarding female fertility against endocrine disruptors. Co-organised by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), the European research project FREIA, and the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS) (17 February 2020)
  • Website of the FREIA project, with latest developments and information about the research project.