How To Avoid Toxins And Have A Healthier Pregnancy

PLUS 70 Tips For Minimising Your Exposure To Toxins While Pregnant

When it comes to pregnancy, there are many things that can affect your health and the health of your baby — your food choices and nutrient intake, movement and exercise habits, stress management and the quality of the supplements you're taking.

However, there is one more very important contributor to your health during pregnancy and the health and wellbeing of your baby in the short and long-term. And that's your exposure to toxins.

Chemical exposure during pregnancy can be harmful.

No doubt you're aware of this. But you may not realise just how prevalent toxins are in your daily life*. 

*If you're already living a low tox life, that's amazing both for you and your baby. We invite you to share the steps you took to reduce your toxic exposure and also to share your favourite low tox products.

Most of us are surrounded by potentially toxic exposures. From the pots and pans we cook with, to the containers we use to store water or leftover food, to the products that contact our skin, the water we drink and of course the food we eat. There are many places where unwanted chemicals can make their way into our body. Of course some toxins are unavoidable, like air pollution, however by making simple lifestyle shifts we can reduce and minimise our toxic exposure significantly.

In this extensive three-part article we've shared some of the harmful effects toxins can have on your health and your baby’s health. We've included this information not to scare or upset you, but to educate and empower you and to give you the WHY for taking steps toward cleaner living.

And remember…

You’re always doing the very best you can with the information you have at the time. Don’t worry about the past. Focus on the future. And use this information to refine how you do things going forward.

First, we outline the effects various toxic chemicals have on you and your baby. Then we go on to share 70+ helpful tips for minimising your exposure to these toxins. And follow this up with suggestions to gently and safely eliminate toxins from your body before and during pregnancy.

Part 1: What effect do toxic chemicals have on me and my baby?

Chemicals in plastic, such as BPA and phthalates, can disrupt your hormones which is especially harmful to the development of your baby’s reproductive system. Exposure to BPA may increase the risk of miscarriage, premature delivery and could affect a woman’s ability to breastfeed. Research also links prenatal BPA exposure to hyperactivity and behavioural problems in children. Exposure to phthalates has been shown to result in hormonal changes, preterm birth and birth defects and may have detrimental effects on genital development and brain development particularly in boys. 

Parabens are another toxic chemical and are heavily used in personal care products and cosmetics. Parabens are endocrine-disrupting and studies have linked parabens to reproductive problems, preterm birth, growth restrictions (both low birth weight and body length) and fetal brain development. Exposure to parabens in utero and in infancy has been linked to higher body weight during early childhood, suggesting the estrogenic effects of parabens may affect a child’s metabolism and body composition long-term. 

Pesticides are heavily used in the commercial production of our food. Many pesticides affect hormone levels in the body and may alter reproductive development in utero. Maternal exposure to pesticides has been linked to the following problems in their babies: urogenital malformations, infertility, semen quality impairment, and testicular, prostate, ovarian and breast cancer. Prenatal pesticide exposure may also be harmful to the developing brain. 

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the most widely used pesticide, Roundup, and its use since the 1970s has increased 100-fold. Research into the toxicity of glyphosate suggests it can impair the function of a key enzyme in the liver involved in detoxification, called glutathione. It also harms healthy gut bacteria and promotes overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in intestines. During pregnancy, you want your liver and gut functioning at the best of its ability, to extract as much nutrition from your food while excreting waste products and toxins efficiently. Glyphosate appears to hamper both. Alterations in gut bacteria from glyphosate may also reduce your body’s ability to absorb essential pregnancy nutrients, especially minerals, like calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc from your diet. 

Non-stick cookware can be found in most kitchens. Alas, the chemicals that make up the non-stick surface (known as PFCs) of these pans are highly toxic. These chemicals are released into your food and the air you breathe during the cooking process, even if your non-stick pan is in perfect condition. As well as non-stick cookware, PFCs are used such products as stain-resistant and water-resistant coatings (for carpets, clothing and upholstery), paint and even food packaging. Higher levels of exposure to this chemical increases the odds of certain pregnancy complications including low birthweight, preeclampsia and brain development. 

Fluoride is a non-essential mineral, meaning your body has no nutritional requirement for it. This might surprise you, seeing it’s been added to water supplies and dental products for decades. Nonetheless, fluoride is toxic to several systems in the body, namely the bones, thyroid, kidneys and brain. Because fluoride crosses the placenta, this is concerning. Ultimately, your fluoride exposure is your baby’s fluoride exposure. Research shows fluoride is toxic to neurodevelopment and skeletal development in utero. Fluoride has been found to be an equivocal carcinogen and to increase infertility in women. The most common way we’re exposed to fluoride is through fluoridated water and dental products, like toothpaste, mouthwash and fluoride treatments at the dentist. Non-organic grapes and tea (black, green, white and oolong) are two other common sources of exposure. 

Aluminium is probably a regular part of your life. It’s found in aluminium foil, aluminium cookware, anti-perspirant deodorants, antacids and even baking powder. Certain vaccines* are another route of exposure, in which up to a milligram of aluminium is injected along with an antigen or allergen. In fact, “only 0.25% of dietary aluminium is absorbed, while aluminium hydroxide (the most common form of aluminium used in vaccines) when injected may be absorbed by the body at nearly 100% efficiency over time”. Soy products also contain high levels of aluminium. Aluminium is known to cross the placenta and decades of research have shown that aluminium exposure during pregnancy affects brain development. 

*We didn’t intent to discuss vaccines in this article, however as our research deepened we continued to identify vaccines as a source of heavy metal exposure. We felt it would be remiss of us to intentionally leave this information out simply to avoid controversy.

Mercury is widely known to be a neurotoxin and readily crosses the placenta. Prenatal mercury exposure is linked to neurodevelopmental problems and lower cognitive performance during childhood. What are sources of mercury? Certain types of fish are high in mercury and should be avoided (namely: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish — check back to our Week 7 email for a more detailed overview of what fish to eat and the many health benefits of including fish in your pregnancy diet two to three times a week). The amalgam fillings or silver fillings given by dentists are 50% mercury and may enter your bloodstream. If you need dental work done while pregnant, insist against the use of amalgam and wait until you’ve stopped breastfeeding to remove any fillings you might already have. Finally, another potential source of mercury exposure is from mercury-containing vaccines in the form of thimerosal. Scientists are particularly concerned with mercury exposure in pregnancy due to the “risk of adverse neurodevelopmental effects in the unborn child.” 

The chemicals reviewed above aren’t the only chemicals that are potentially harmful during pregnancy. However, they’re the chemicals you can minimise exposure to by making lifestyle shifts.

Numerous other chemicals are implicated in reproductive problems, though limiting exposure to some of these can be tricky due to widespread environmental pollution. These include heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (like PCBs and dioxins), bromine, formaldehyde, flame retardants, antibacterial chemicals, and many others. For example, exposure to flame retardants is “associated with reproductive toxicity, thyroid hormone disruption in pregnant women and newborns, and poorer mental development.”

Part 2: What can I do to minimise exposure to these toxins while I’m pregnant?

Now that we’ve provided an overview of the harmful effects of various toxins on your health and your baby’s growth and development, let us share with you helpful tips and strategies for reducing your exposure.

CLICK HERE to download 70 tips to help minimise your toxic exposure during pregnancy, breastfeeding and beyond. And access our favourite resources to help you make simple lifestyle shifts to benefit your health and your baby’s health.

N.B. More than 130 references were consulted in the curation of the above information. Should you have any questions or would like further information, please email us.