Chemicals in Feminine Hygiene Products and Lubricants
Female sex organs evolved to be self-cleaning. The vaginal canal is richly endowed with blood vessels and produces mucus that protects against and washes away harmful microorganisms. As a mucous membrane, the vagina is capable of secreting and absorbing fluids at a higher rate than skin, as are some of the external portions of the vulva, including the clitoris, clitoral hood, labia minora, and urethra.
"Most of the vagina is covered with multiple layers of dead and dying cells that do a lot to protect it against infection, but [this] is nowhere near the thick leathery surface of our skin," says Cone. "The vaginal epithelium … is highly water permeable in a way our skin is not."
Because mucous membranes in the vagina and vulva rapidly absorb chemicals without metabolizing them, researchers have even explored the possibility of delivering drugs vaginally. One study found that vaginal application of estradiol, a synthetic estrogen, resulted in blood serum levels 10 times higher than those following oral dosing. But while rapid absorption works well when a patient needs a drug delivered rapidly, it may also expose women to higher levels of chemicals from feminine hygiene products than manufacturers intend.
"The study about the enhanced absorption of estradiol was really compelling because a lot of these chemicals [found in feminine care products] can interfere with estrogen signaling," says Ami Zota, an assistant professor of epidemiology at George Washington University. "Plausibly the same concept would extend to other [EDCs]." Zota is researching whether fragranced feminine hygiene products, in particular, add to the body burden of EDCs in women of different racial and socioeconomic groups.
Among the suspected EDCs found in some feminine hygiene products are parabens, which are used as preservatives, and fragrance ingredients including diethyl phthalate and Galaxolide®. (Parabens are also commonly used in personal lubricants.) "Chemicals from plastics may also be of potential concern, given that many of these feminine hygiene products have applicators," Zota says.
The Vaginal Route of Exposure
Female sex organs evolved to be self-cleaning. The vaginal canal is richly endowed with blood vessels and produces mucus that protects against and washes away harmful microorganisms. As a mucous membrane, the vagina is capable of secreting and absorbing fluids at a higher rate than skin, as are some of the external portions of the vulva, including the clitoris, clitoral hood, labia minora, and urethra.
"Most of the vagina is covered with multiple layers of dead and dying cells that do a lot to protect it against infection, but [this] is nowhere near the thick leathery surface of our skin," says Cone. "The vaginal epithelium … is highly water permeable in a way our skin is not."
Because mucous membranes in the vagina and vulva rapidly absorb chemicals without metabolizing them, researchers have even explored the possibility of delivering drugs vaginally. One study found that vaginal application of estradiol, a synthetic estrogen, resulted in blood serum levels 10 times higher than those following oral dosing. But while rapid absorption works well when a patient needs a drug delivered rapidly, it may also expose women to higher levels of chemicals from feminine hygiene products than manufacturers intend.
"The study about the enhanced absorption of estradiol was really compelling because a lot of these chemicals [found in feminine care products] can interfere with estrogen signaling," says Ami Zota, an assistant professor of epidemiology at George Washington University. "Plausibly the same concept would extend to other [EDCs]." Zota is researching whether fragranced feminine hygiene products, in particular, add to the body burden of EDCs in women of different racial and socioeconomic groups.
Among the suspected EDCs found in some feminine hygiene products are parabens, which are used as preservatives, and fragrance ingredients including diethyl phthalate and Galaxolide®. (Parabens are also commonly used in personal lubricants.) "Chemicals from plastics may also be of potential concern, given that many of these feminine hygiene products have applicators," Zota says.
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