Plastic, Hormones & Health: What the PERTH Trial Reveals for Women
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What a New Study on Plastics Means for Your Hormones (and Why It Matters More Than You Think)
We’re surrounded by plastic: in food packaging, water bottles, ready meals, skincare, cleaning products. It’s become so normal that most of us don’t question it.
But a new clinical study is starting to challenge just how “normal”, or harmless, that exposure really is.
The study: what did researchers actually look at?
A recent randomised controlled trial called the PERTH Trial (Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health)explored a simple question:
What happens if you significantly reduce your exposure to plastic in everyday life?
Participants were split into two groups. One continued their usual lifestyle. The other followed a low-plastic diet and lifestyle for a short period, with changes including:
- Plastic-free food sourcing and storage
- Swapping kitchenware for non-plastic alternatives
- Changing personal care and cleaning products
Researchers then measured levels of plastic-related chemicals in the body using urine samples.
The key finding (and why it matters)
The results were clear.
Reducing plastic exposure led to significant drops in key chemicals, including:
- Up to ~60% reduction in bisphenol A (BPA)
- Significant reductions in multiple phthalates
These chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors; substances that can interfere with how our hormones function.
The key thing here is this wasn’t over months or years, this happened in just days to weeks.
Why this is especially relevant for women
Hormones are not just about periods or menopause.
They influence:
- Energy levels
- Mood and mental clarity
- Sleep
- Metabolism and weight regulation
- Skin, hair, and ageing
- Long-term health risk
Endocrine disruptors like BPA and phthalates have been linked in research to:
- Increased inflammation
- Insulin resistance
- Changes in body composition
- Cardiometabolic health risks
For women navigating midlife, where hormones are already shifting, this added layer of disruption matters.
Not in a fear-based way, but in an awareness and control kind of way.
The bigger takeaway: exposure is everyday (but so is reduction)
One of the most important insights from the PERTH trial is this:
Plastic exposure isn’t occasional. It’s constant.
Most exposure comes from:
- Food packaging and processing
- Heating food in plastic
- Bottled drinks
- Personal care products
- Household cleaning products
But equally important:
Small changes can make a measurable difference.
This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about reducing your overall load.
Practical ways to reduce plastic exposure (without overhauling your life)
This is where it becomes useful.
You don’t need to remove all plastic overnight. But you can start with the highest-impact areas:
1. Start with food (biggest impact)
- Avoid heating food in plastic containers
- Swap to glass or stainless steel where you can
- Choose fresh or minimally packaged foods more often
2. Rethink drinks
- Use a reusable glass or stainless steel bottle
- Limit bottled water when possible
3. Upgrade your kitchen slowly
- Wooden or stainless steel utensils over plastic
- Glass storage instead of plastic tubs
4. Be mindful with personal care
- Reduce heavily fragranced products (often contain phthalates)
- Choose simpler, well-formulated options
5. Focus on consistency, not perfection
- This is about lowering overall exposure, not eliminating it completely
Where this fits with your overall health
What this study reinforces is something we come back to often:
Health isn’t built on one thing, it’s the accumulation of small, consistent choices.
Nutrition matters, movement matters, sleep matters, and increasingly, what we’re exposed to daily matters too.
Reducing plastic exposure isn’t about being extreme. It’s about removing unnecessary stressors from the body, so everything else can work better.
The bottom line
This study doesn’t suggest plastic is the sole cause of health issues, but it does show something important:
Your environment is influencing your biology, and you have more control over that than you might think.
When it comes to supporting energy, hormones, and long-term health, that’s worth paying attention to.