Estrogens, including estrone, estradiol, and estriol, are the female sex
hormones conscientious for the regulation and play a significant role in the
developmental process of the feminine reproductive organs. It is used for hypogonadal,
postmenopausal, and hormone replacement therapy, as drugs in oral contraceptives and
the cure of hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and
prostate cancer, and many other hormone-based complications such as osteoporosis.
Environmental xenoestrogens may be classified into two categories- natural (derived
from plants or fungi) and synthetic, which include steroidal estrogens, pesticides, and
industrial waste. Phytoestrogens are thought to be beneficial for humans, but many
environmental pollutants, including pesticides, plastics, and chemicals, which can
mimic estrogen compounds, may act like estrogen or could interfere in the mechanism
of action of natural estrogens and thus disturb the endocrine processes; such substances
are called endocrine disruptors. In the last decade, concentrations of synthetic estrogens
have increased rapidly in soil and water worldwide; synthetic xenoestrogens have
attracted significant attention. In this chapter, the severe effects of xenoestrogens on
human health have been highlighted.
Keywords: Breast cancer, Carcinogenesis, Early adolescence, Endocrine
disruptors, Endometrial cancer, Environmental pollutants, Menopause,
Mycoestrogens, Osteoporosis, Phytoestrogens, Steroid hormones, Xenoestrogens.
