Some Cosmetic products and personal care due to the presence of chemicals that mimic and block the action of hormones, known as endocrine disruptors, could increase the likelihood of developing endometriosis.
This is revealed by a study carried out by researchers from the University of Granada and the San Cecilio de Granada Clinical University Hospital, framed in a research project called EndEA.
Endometriosis is a very common gynecological disease and it is estimated that one in 10 women of reproductive age could suffer from it.
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Some cosmetic products have harmful chemicals
Endometriosis is an abnormal growth of endometrial tissue, which in normal situations covers the inside of the uterus, in different regions of the abdomen and pelvis.
This anomaly causes:
- Chronic severe pain in the pelvic region.
- Intestinal problems and infertility.
- Notable decrease in the quality of life of those affected.
To this is added the difficulty to be diagnosed, since a surgical intervention is required to definitively confirm the disease, which in many cases implies a significant delay in diagnosis, about 10 years on average from the appearance of symptoms.
In addition, the lack of a definitive treatment to cure this disease makes it a chronic illness and disabling in some cases.
The gynecologist Olga Ocón, from the San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada, and Professor Francisco Artacho, from the University of Granada, are the authors of the study.
Both indicate that, “Although the causes of its appearance are not exactly known, it is suspected that they may be diverse, including genetic, epigenetic and environmental causes, where hormones seem to play a key role”.
The role of substances in cosmetic products
Thus, the presence of chemical substances in Cosmetic products known as endocrine disruptors, present in many products of daily consumption, could contribute to the increase in diagnosed cases that are being detected in recent years.
This extends to other pathologies such as breast cancer, obesity or diabetes.
Among these endocrine disruptors are parabens and benzophenones, widely used in the cosmetic and personal care industry.
These are part of the exposome, the name that has been given to the set of non-genetic environmental factors that contribute to the risk of becoming ill.
Researchers have quantified internal levels of parabens and benzophenones in 124 women with and without endometriosis.
Those evaluated come from public hospitals in the city of Granada, and detailed information is available on the use of Cosmetic products and personal care for each of them.
There is a relationship between greater use of cosmetic products and having higher levels of these endocrine disruptors
“In addition, we observed that the internal levels of some of these endocrine disruptors were related to the risk of suffering endometriosis“, point out Ocón and Artacho.
Peinado points out that, due to the difficult diagnosis and since there is still no treatment to definitively cure endometriosis, preventive measures must be established.
These aim to reduce exposure to these compounds, through the use of Cosmetic products free of these endocrine disruptors or reducing the use of them.
