Indoor and outdoor air quality plays a significant but sometimes overlooked role in gynecologic and reproductive health.

Environmental factors, including indoor air quality, can influence hormonal regulation, ovarian function, and general reproductive health. If you’re living with a menstrual disorder or chronic gynecologic condition like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or fibroids, reducing your exposure to environmental risks is especially important. Since toxic chemicals can accumulate inside people’s homes, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) recommends that “patients should be advised to improve indoor air quality by ventilating living spaces and using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters” [3]. 

Research has linked exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) among pregnant women with altered immune responses that can lead to adverse birth outcomes. There are also proven associations between PM2.5 exposure and maternal and child health complications, including preeclampsia, low birth weight, and developmental delays in early childhood. Youn Soo Jung, research associate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-author of a 2024 study on PM2.5 and birth outcomes, says, “Policy interventions to improve air quality, as well as clinical guidelines to help pregnant women reduce their exposure to pollution, could have a direct impact on reducing pregnancy complications” [4].

Feminine hygiene products, and specifically douching and feminine powders, may be a source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), research shows [5]. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs contain a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects including cancer; damage to the liver, kidney, and central nervous system; nausea; eye, nose, and throat irritation; allergic skin reaction; dizziness; fatigue; and other symptoms [6]. Recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office suggest that douching and using feminine deodorant powder be discouraged, especially during pregnancy [5].