That showed us that the chemicals in early pregnancy actually matter for later in pregnancy.
And the chemicals the researchers measured have previously been shown to increase inflammation and oxidative stress.
Another possible pathway is your endocrine system.
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So, in messing with your hormones, they may inadvertently cause an uptick in your blood pressure.
But there are some big things worth keeping in mind with these findings.
First, just because you detect something doesn’t mean that it’s the cause, says Dobos.
The presence of other factors are almost impossible to avoid with human epidemiological studies like this one.
No study is perfect at adjusting for all the important confounders, Dr. Varshavsky acknowledges.
Also worth considering is that both parabens and phenols exist far beyond the beauty realm.
(You might already know and steer clear of BPA in single-use water bottles, for example.)
So you have this cohort that is also exposed to these Superfund sites, says Dobos.
This area is very likely to contaminate the groundwater and possibly drinking water.
However, the anti-paraben movement hasnt quite come for all theothersources of parabens out there.
Parabens are used in food, she says; they act as preservatives here, too.
Is it the bread?
Theres no way to know for sure.
So, should you rethink your beauty products that contain parabens?
The best answer weve got right now is…maybe?
But pregnant or not, these ingredients may be worth revisiting based on your personal risk tolerance.
Ultimately, as it happens so often during pregnancy, theres no right or perfect answer here.
