Our test tells you which everyday chemicals you've recently come into contact with, and easy steps you can follow to reduce your exposure to them.
16th September 2025
EDCs interfere with IVF success
In-vitro fertilisation is less successful in women when they’ve have been exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – that’s one of the conclusions reached by scientists from across Europe who are leading the way to build a better understanding of the fertility impacts of exposure to EDCs.
Using human exposure data from foetal and follicular fluid samples, and laboratory research findings, researchers working at the FREIDA Project found that women where more EDCs were identified in the follicular fluid surrounding their eggs are less likely to have a successful pregnancy. Researchers also found that ovaries exposed to EDCs have fewer germ cells, which play a key role in maturing of ovarian eggs. Further, the research suggests that puberty might start earlier when ovaries are exposed to EDCs, even when exposure is before birth.
Professor Majorie van Duursen, a Dutch environmental health expert and toxicologist involved in the FREIA Project suggests that, “In theory, exposure to these chemicals, even in early development, can lead to fewer eggs and then maybe early menopause and fertility issues,”
What are EDCs?
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) get their name because they can mimic or block the normal actions of hormones in the endocrine glands of the body. Almost 1000 chemical substances have been identified as having potential endocrine disrupting effects.
EDCs move around in the bloodstream where they have the potential to interfere with hormone signals and natural levels of hormones released by the endocrine glands, including the ovaries. Exposure to EDCs can lead to changes in the effects of hormones have on body functions such as metabolism and detoxification.
How are we exposed to EDCs?
We are exposed to EDCs in our daily lives, from the food we eat, products we use on our skin such as fragrances and toiletries, and in the air we breathe. Chemicals are often hiding in plain sight; they can enter our bodies and disrupt the healthy actions of the endocrine system, and especially the actions of hormones within the body.
Men, women, and children are all at risk to these daily exposures, so a key driver of the research is to raise public awareness, and to encourage governments and medics to take the health concerns of exposure to EDCs more seriously.
But information is power – by understanding some of the potential risks of exposure to EDCs we can take individual actions to reduce our exposure, and it’s easy when you know how.
Knowing the sources isn’t as complicated as some might think – whilst EDCs are widely used in everyday products, such as cosmetics and toiletries, food, and around the home, by making a few simple steps, it’s possible to reduce your exposure to EDCs, one change at a time.
To discover what chemicals you may have been exposed to, you will soon be able to find out by taking our new at-home Everyday Chemicals Test. From a single urine sample, we can screen your sample for 27 chemicals, including phthalates, parabens, pesticides, and VOCs. You can register your interest for the new test which will be available this Autumn.
About the FREIA research project
The Freia project is part of the EURION European Cluster to improve identification of endocrine disruptors set up to deliver a series of 8 projects focused on developing new methods to investigate specific aspects of health risks and EDC exposure. The focus of the FREIA project was to develop new test methods to examine the effects of exposure to EDCs and their effects on the female reproductive system.
Teams across Europe, including Belfast and Aberdeen, have developed new laboratory methods to understand the effects of exposure to EDCs on female reproduction by creating ‘human tissue models’ that represent the entire reproduction cycle, from pre-natal to maturity.
Funded by the EU, EURION research scientists have been collaborating for five years to build a better understand the impacts that exposure to EDCs could have on our health. The FREIA project sheds more light on the warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) that one in six people may experience infertility at some stage in their lifetime.