Chemicals to Avoid While Trying to Conceive or Pregnant

Are you wondering which chemicals to avoid while trying to conceive or pregnant? Of course everyone wants to bring their baby into the world in the healthiest way possible, so taking time to understand the most harmful chemicals to avoid is a good idea. 

I learned about this topic in the Lamaze weekend workshop my husband and I took 19 years ago, but I had not known anything about it beforehand. My hope is that this article inspires you to ditch the harmful toxic overload and switch to clean products that work just as well or better. Let me be a resource for you! 

What's often missing from articles on chemicals to avoid are recommended healthy brands to try. It can be overwhelming to read so many ingredient lists. So I recommend educating yourself on the reasons why chemicals should be avoided and then focus on trying to find resources, such as Decrease Your Toxins;) that make it easy to transition to healthier choices for you and your family.  

Although the lack of regulations over U.S. products manufacturing doesn't make it easy to live a low-toxin lifestyle, we are lucky to live in a time when environmental health organizations share their science-based resources with the public. 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a healthy living product certification program that only includes products with clean ingredients that are certified by EWG scientists. The scientists stay up to date on the latest peer-reviewed studies to inform their assessments and adjust product ratings as necessary. 

To make things easier to choose clean, healthy products, I try EWG-certified products to find the brands (at different price points) that work just as well or better than the harmful ones. 

Check out my low-tox products shop that contains hundreds of clean products I have personally tried and chosen for my family. 

This list of chemicals of concern was created by combining lists from many sources, including: Environmental Working Group, Women's Voices for the Earth, Silent Spring Institute, Green Policy Institute, Toxic-Free Future and scientific and peer-reviewed studies posted on the NIH PubMed platform.  

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the list. But choosing safer products from EWG-certified and low-health-risk-rated products make it easy to ditch the bad stuff and switch to the healthier stuff. 

You can also lean on me as a resource for an assessment of your products or start with my low-tox products shop so that you can save time, money and headaches searching for replacements. 

But in the spirit of sharing the knowledge, I bestow upon you...a list of chemicals of concern. 

Acid Blue 9, aka FD&C Blue 1 - Found in blue dishwashing liquid. May cause fetal harm, damage fertility & impacts liver and asthma and is a suspected carcinogen.

Alkylphenol Ethoxylates – Found in laundry detergent. May cause genetic defects, cancer, toxic if inhaled, PROP 65: cancer & reproductive toxicity (restricted in laundry detergent in WA January 2025).

BHA – Found in food, cosmetics & pharmaceuticals as a preservative. Linked to reproductive toxicity, fetal developmental effects, cancer & toxic to the liver. Found in breast milk & the placenta. For more than three decades, the National Toxicology Program has classified BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” with prolonged exposure. article 

BHT – Found in food, cosmetics & pharmaceuticals as a preservative. Linked to reproductive toxicity, fetal developmental effects & toxic to the liver & kidneys. Found in breast milk & the placenta. article

BVO (brominated vegetable oil) – Found in fruit flavored drinks, long-term exposure harms nervous systems, headaches, fatigue & memory loss. Bioaccumulates & impacts fat cells, liver, heart & brain tissue. article

Benzophenones – Found in sunscreens, but not always labeled. Linked to low birth weight, birth length, head circumference, and Ponderal Index, testicular function in adult men, fertility outcomes. Avoid spray sunscreens and look for EWG-certified products. Check out my current favorites here. study

Bisphenol-A (BPA) - Found in some baby bottles, plastic water bottles, thermal paper receipts, canned goods. Impacts fertility, increased risk of cancer, early puberty, and developmental disorders. Opt for organic food and glass containers whenever possible and avoid handling receipts unless you really need them and wash hands afterwards.

Chlorine Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) – Found in dishwashing detergents, disinfectant cleaners, laundry detergents, mildew removers, toilet bowl cleaners, toilet paper & menstrual products. Chlorine by-products are found in drinking water and linked to low birth weight, preterm delivery, spontaneous abortions, stillbirth, and birth defects--in particular central nervous system, major cardiac defects, oral cleft, and respiratory, and neural tube defects. Check out the home water filtration system I use in my home. Exposure to straight bleach is linked to asthma and considered a lung, skin and eye irritant.

Chlorpyrifos - Found in meats (from pesticides in feed) that is linked to neurodevelopmental harm in children

Flame Retardant Chemicals (PBDEs) – Found in clothing, bedding, furniture, mattresses electronics and foam-padded baby products. These chemicals are linked to learning and developmental disabilities, thyroid hormone disruption, late puberty, reduced fertility, fetal malformations and cancers.

Formaldehyde – Found in cosmetics, particleboard, some baby shampoos and body washes. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde may cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat and skin irritation. Long-term exposure to formaldehyde is linked to cancer.

Fragrance/Synthetic Musks – Found in synthetic scented candles, air freshener, cosmetics & scented cleaners. Common fragrance chemicals include phthalates (linked to reproductive and developmental harm) and synthetic musks (linked to increased risk of breast cancer). Warning: “Unscented does not always mean fragrance free.”

Heavy Metals (arsenic, chromium, mercury, lead) – Found in some baby formula & prenatal vitamins. Can impact fertility and developmental issues. 

Lead – Exposure to lead is linked to developmental issues, reduced fertility, organ system toxicity, cancer and other serious health problems,

Parabens - Preservatives found in some personal care products and linked to hormone disruption, infertility and cancer.

Forever Chemicals (PFAS/PFOA/PFOS) – Found in drinking water throughout the country, baby formula, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, waterproof clothing & gear. Linked to decreased fertility and developmental toxicity for children & fetuses. The EPA has found PFAS in the blood of 99% Americans, including infants.

According to the Environmental Working Group: “Research has found PFAS in umbilical cord blood and breast milk, revealing direct prenatal and early-life exposure. Babies born with PFAS in their cord blood are more likely to have elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels – biomarkers linked to future heart disease. PFAS exposure also disrupts bile acids, which are essential for digestion and metabolism, so the risk of chronic health issues may go up as these children grow. 

Even very low doses of PFAS can also weaken babies’ immune systems, making them more prone to infection and reducing vaccine effectiveness. PFAS exposure has also been linked to thyroid dysfunction, which can impair growth and brain development. In the gut, PFAS may alter the balance of microbial cells, disrupting digestion and weakening immune defenses.

As children age, the damage from early PFAS exposure continues to unfold. Research links PFAS to cognitive challenges, lung issues and metabolic disorders, including altered glucose regulation in adulthood."

Use PFAS-filtrated water to make formula and drinks. Reverse Osmosis or carbon block pitchers work well. Check out the home water filtration system I use in my home. Read my deep dive blog article and recommendations about water contamination here. 

Microplastics – Become harmful when heated (especially when exposed to acid or fat) or scratched and found in plastic carryout containers, plastic utensils, carryout coffee cups, nylon teabags, just to name a few. Linked to infertility and developmental challenges in children. Schedule a Ditch & Switch Assessment with me and I'll help you decrease your microplastic intake. 

Pesticides – Found in bug repellent and fruits, vegetables and meat. Significant pesticide exposure can disrupt hormones, impact fertility, increase the risk of birth defects and is linked to learning disabilities in young children. When possible, eat organic food. Don’t spray pesticides indoors, in the garden, or on pets. Control pests with baits and traps instead of pesticide sprays.

Phthalates – Found in plastics, including diapers. Some phthalates can interfere with hormones that can affect fertility and proper growth and development of a growing fetus. 

Sodium Laureth Sulfate - Found in some personal care products like shampoos and body wash and may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which is linked to cancer.

Triclosan – Found in antibacterial cleaners and hand soap. Linked to degradation of good gut bacteria needed for optimal health.

Trihalomethanes (TTHMS) – Found in some drinking water. Linked to fetal growth and development harm, bladder and skin cancer-causing contaminants that form during water treatment with chlorine and other disinfectants. The total trihalomethanes group includes four chemicals: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform. Deep Dive

Volatile Organic Compounds – Found in paint. Only use no- or low-VOC paint and do not paint while pregnant because the substitute chemicals might not have been studied for long-term health effects. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, can cause cancer and damage the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. article

Congrats! Informing yourself is an important part of the process of living a healthier lifestyle. Moms are knowledge keepers and you're well positioned to improve health outcomes for you and your family. Follow me and we'll navigate it together.