17
Apr
Findings Show Endocrine-Disrupting Glyphosate Weed Killer Threatens Women’s Reproductive Health
(Beyond Pesticides, April 17, 2025) A literature review in Reproductive Sciences finds glyphosate (GLY) and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) impact women’s reproductive health, adding to the long list of documented harm from this widely used weed killer. The authors note, “Considering the widespread use of GLY, the controversy regarding its endocrine-disrupting potential and reproductive toxicity, and the innumerable lawsuits filed against Bayer and Monsanto by consumers for morbidities related to Roundup™ exposure, the purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature on the potential adverse effects of GLY and GBHs on the female reproductive tract and discuss possible clinical implications on reproductive health outcomes, including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and female fertility.”
Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), the primary metabolite (breakdown product) of GLY, are found throughout the environment in soil and water, as well as in samples of blood, urine, seminal plasma, and breast milk. Studies have detected residues in farmworkers, as well as “in the urine of 60–80% of the general public in the USA, including pregnant women and children.” (See studies here, here, and here.) The ubiquitous use of GLY and GBH, and subsequent persistence, threatens the health and well-being of all.
Previous studies have found a wide range of health and environmental effects with GLY exposure, ranging from cancer and neurotoxicity to leaching in groundwater and threats to pollinators and aquatic organisms, despite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reaffirming that glyphosate meets regulatory standards. As the researchers state, “Several studies have demonstrated the harmful effects of GLY and GBHs on the male reproductive system and fertility.” [See studies here, here, and here.]
They continue: “However, a comprehensive review of the data on the effects of GLY on the female reproductive system and reproductive health outcomes is lacking… The continued debate regarding the effects of GLY exposure makes establishing the impacts of GBH on female reproductive health, the consequences on human fertility, and the epigenetic effects a pressing public health issue.”
Through a review of over 80 current studies in scientific literature, the authors find associations between GLY and adverse impacts on the female reproductive system through “increased oxidative stress, endocrine disruption of reproductive hormones, histological changes in ovarian and uterine tissue, and diminished ovarian function in human cell lines and animals.” They continue by saying that this “growing evidence suggests GLY and GBH possess cytotoxic, genotoxic, and endocrine-disrupting effects, potentially impacting human health and reproductive function.”
Oxidative Stress and Epigenetics
Cytotoxicity refers to the ability of a substance to cause damage to cells. GLY’s cytotoxic effects are “primarily mediated by a heightened state of oxidative stress arising from an imbalance [of] reactive oxygen species (ROS).” The increasing levels of ROS, which are highly reactive molecules that are harmful in elevated concentrations, can cause cellular, protein, and DNA damage. Increased ROS production is a key oxidative stress mechanism that studies (see below) link to GLY and GBH exposure. This can, in turn, “induce endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, cell death, metabolic alterations, and potential epigenetic alterations.”
As summarized by the researchers, “Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression that occur without changing the DNA sequence.” Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, are linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) such as GLY. (See studies here and here.) “These epigenetic modifications may influence the expression of genes involved in female reproduction and development, which can promote the transgenerational inheritance of disease,” the authors state. These impacts highlight the threats to future generations even long after exposure has ended.
Important study results include:
- “GLY can trigger ROS overproduction and accumulation, leading to ROS-induced damage.” (See studies here and here.)
- “In multiple animal models, GLY increased malondialdehyde (MDA) production, a toxic metabolite produced by ROS-induced lipid peroxidation, in the ovary and uterus.” (See studies here and here.)
- In a multigenerational study of rats, “GLY-induced alterations in DNA methylation increased the frequency of ovarian disease, mammary tumors, obesity, premature birth abnormalities, and kidney disease.”
- Another study “showed that perinatal exposure of female rats to GBH induced epigenetic changes in the uterine ERα gene,” which is a gene essential for the development and function of the uterus.
- “Maternal exposure to GBH has also been linked to delayed fetal growth and structural congenital anomalies” in the offspring of rats.
Endocrine Disruption
As previously reported by Beyond Pesticides, a multitude of studies consider GLY and GBH as EDCs. The scientific literature shows that glyphosate products (e.g., Roundup™) are more toxic than glyphosate alone and result in a number of chronic, developmental, and endocrine-disrupting impacts. The “inert” ingredients in Roundup™ formulations kill human cells at very low concentrations, and some GBH products are genotoxic. Despite evidence of GLY as an EDC, “the endocrine-disrupting potential of GLY on female steroid sex hormones and reproductive function is limited,” the authors note.
Through the available science, they find:
- “Recent studies have suggested that GLY may induce estrogenic effects by targeting estrogen signaling pathways.” (See studies here and here.)
- In a study of human placental cells, GBH concentrations lower than those used in agriculture cause decreased enzyme activity that is essential in producing estrogen.
Female Reproductive System Effects
In analyzing studies specifically relating GLY/GBH exposure to female reproductive health impacts, the researchers find pregnancy risks (including poor pregnancy outcomes and fetal developmental issues), uterine abnormalities, and ovarian dysfunction, such as with a reduction in the number and quality of eggs (oocytes) and damage to ovarian follicles that are needed for hormone production and egg development. “The consequences of GLY exposure on endocrine and reproductive function may negatively influence female fertility and reproductive health outcomes, including endometriosis, PCOS, and infertility,” the authors share.
The literature review reports the following results:
- “GLY-induced disturbances in redox balance and endocrine function, including aromatase activity and estrogen signaling, may negatively impact the female reproductive system, with potential consequences on ovarian function, uterus morphology, and embryo implantation.” (See studies here and here.)
- “The effects of GLY and GBH on ROS accumulation and oxidative stress may disturb ovarian function and oocyte quality.” (See study here.)
- “Oxidative damage also accelerates ovarian aging and increases apoptosis [cell death] in granulosa cells,” which are cells in the ovaries crucial for hormone production and oocyte growth and maturation.
- “Numerous in vitro [in cells] and in vivo [in animals] studies have shown that GLY and GBH may disrupt ovarian function by impacting oocyte morphology, follicle development, and steroidogenesis.” (See here and here.)
- “[I]n-utero exposure of mice to GLY decreased ovarian weight, increased follicle atresia, and altered estrogen and progesterone levels.”
- “GLY impaired folliculogenesis, decreased estrogen secretion, and altered ovarian morphology.” (See study here.)
- “GLY and Roundup™ exposure in pig oocytes reduced the percentage of oocytes that matured.”
- GBH-induced alterations in the structure of the uterus “may contribute to infertility, early pregnancy loss, and endometrial hyperplasia.”
- “[E]xposure to GBH may disrupt embryo implantation by damaging the vascular support to implantation sites in the uterus,” which can increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- “GLY induces disruptions in ovarian and neuroendocrine functions that may result in abnormalities resembling the pathophysiologic features of PCOS, such as abnormal gonadotropin [hormones that regulate the function of the ovaries] secretion, dysfunctional ovarian aromatase activity and hyperandrogenism, and impaired follicle development and ovulatory function.” (See studies here and here.)
These effects on women’s reproduction from exposure to GLY and GBH, resulting from oxidative stress, alterations in hormone levels, dysfunction of the ovaries and uterus, and more, suggest that these chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors and carry the threat of reproductive toxicity, which is not considered during risk assessments. (See more on regulatory deficiencies and EPA failures here.)
In a recent Daily News post, Beyond Pesticides reports that reproductive implications are noted with many different classes of pesticides, such as insecticides, including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), organophosphates (OPs), pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, as well as herbicides and fungicides. In examining over 200 studies performed in the last 25 years, a review in Environment & Health finds that pesticides, including glyphosate, threaten women’s health, particularly through ovarian dysfunction.
A Holistic Solution
An article reporting on a Reproductive Sciences study in U.S. Right to Know, titled Glyphosate poses widespread risks to female fertility and reproductive health: new research, shares: “Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide, disrupts female hormones, and damages the ovaries and uterus in ways that can make it more difficult for women to get pregnant, according to a new review of human and animal research… To reduce your risk of exposure to glyphosate, opt for organic produce [and] avoid herbicide use in home gardens.”
The article continues, “Supporting non-herbicide weed control strategies and organic farming in your community can also decrease reliance on chemical herbicides.” This echoes Beyond Pesticides’ mission of transitioning away from petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers into the holistic systems-based approach of organic land management.
In adopting organic practices, the threats from GLY, GBH, and all other harmful chemicals are eliminated, except for the contamination attributable to chemical drift and runoff. This includes reproductive toxicity, as well as a wide range of additional health effects covered in the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database. To learn about the health and environmental benefits of organic, see here and here. For more information on endocrine disruption, watch keynote speaker Tracey Woodruff, PhD, at the second session of the 41st National Forum Series — Imperatives for a Sustainable Future.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Sources:
Ferdinand, P. (2025) Glyphosate poses widespread risks to female fertility and reproductive health: new research, U.S. Right to Know. Available at: https://usrtk.org/healthwire/glyphosate-risks-to-female-fertility-reproductive-health/.
Stone, A. et al. (2025) Re-Evaluating the Use of Glyphosate-based Herbicides: Implications on Fertility, Reproductive Sciences. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43032-025-01834-6.
