Wednesday Bubble: Trick or…

Posted by Liz on Oct 31, 2012 in Early menopause | 0 comments

Treat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Halloween, you may want to take a look at the ingredients before you apply your make up. In fact, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis reported last week that certain chemicals found in make up and plastic — pthalates — may actually trigger early menopause. On average, the findings, which are based on blood or urine samples from roughly 5,700 women, showed that higher levels of pthalates led to significant disruptions in women’s endocrine systems that were linked to starting menopause as much as 2.3 years earlier. And in some women, menopause began as much as 15 years earlier than average.

Speaking at last week’s American Society for Reproductive Medicine Annual Meeting, lead study author, Dr. Natalia Grindler, cautioned that the findings are too early to draw any firm conclusions. However, this is not the first time that pthalates have been linked to adverse effects, and in fact, they have been closely watched and regulated for years now.

This year’s treat? Read the label. It might scare the bejeesus out of you! Even better? Sign up for the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. This invaluable resource is being updated but is scheduled to be accessible soon. Finally? This time, beauty is really skin deep!