Endocrine disrupting chemicals and female sexual health: An emerging research priority

Female sexual function is important for positive sexual expression, relationship satisfaction, and overall health and wellbeing. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD), which affects ∼40% of premenopausal women, may manifest as issues with sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, or pain during intercourse. The etiology of FSD is multifactorial but remains incompletely characterized, and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may play an underappreciated role in its development.

In this commentary, we identify female sexual function as a health outcome of interest for environmental health scientists by providing a high-level overview of the physiological systems underpinning sexual health, describing the hypothesized toxicological effects of EDCs on sexual function, and discussing research needs to advance science in this area.

Female sexual function is understudied in environmental health research as an important and distinct health endpoint. Limited toxicological and epidemiological evidence suggests that EDCs may influence sexual health given their ability to dysregulate neurological and hormonal processes underlying female sexual function. Focusing future research efforts on EDCs and female sexual function will help to inform clinical practice, policies, and public health interventions with important implications for female sexuality, health, and wellbeing.