The Real Reason I Ditched the Toxins: My Unexpected Hormone Journey at 41

For a long time, my "why" for clean living felt abstract—something about a healthier planet, saving money, or just being a little more minimal. But recently, my mission became deeply, urgently personal.

If you’re new here, allow me to introduce you to my blog that is all about setting up a clean, low-tox home. But the driving force behind this entire journey is my health, specifically an unexpected challenge I’ve been navigating for a while now: early and long-term perimenopause.

When "Normal" Gets a Rewrite

I’m only 41. When I pictured my 40s, I imagined finally being past the young-children stage and enjoying a little more freedom. I certainly wasn’t envisioning daily discussions about hormone levels.

But that’s where I found myself. I've been in perimenopause for a good while, and my body simply isn't producing the progesterone it should be. It’s an exhausting, confusing, and disruptive experience that eventually led me to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). While HRT has been a lifesaver in helping me manage these fluctuations, it doesn't solve the underlying question: Why is this happening so early?

I had my children at 25 and 27, and I’m incredibly grateful that my hormone troubles started after they were born and are not impacting their health and development. That gives me the bandwidth to focus on fixing my own system. But the experience of fighting for balance pushed me to look beyond prescriptions and ask a deeper question about my environment.

The Wake-Up Call: Endocrine Disruptors

When you are battling your own hormones, you start to learn a terrifying term: Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs).

These are chemicals found everywhere—in our plastic food containers, our cosmetics, and yes, the heavy-duty cleaners under the sink. EDCs are known to mimic, block, or interfere with our body's natural hormones, like estrogen and, critically for me, progesterone.

It was a lightbulb moment. While I can’t definitively say EDCs caused my perimenopause, I can absolutely look at my life and see a thousand small sources of chemical exposure that were doing my body no favors. If my system is already struggling to regulate itself, why would I keep introducing known disruptors?

My health journey gave me a non-negotiable mission for my home: I have to reduce the load.

My Two Big Whys: Protection and Prevention

My decision to cut chemicals and plastics is no longer a casual lifestyle choice—it's preventative health care. Every swap I make now is fueled by two major goals:

1. Hormone Stability: I’m actively working to cut down on the chemicals that might be contributing to my hormone problems. This means being ruthless about eliminating plastics, especially those that touch hot food, and switching every single cleaning product to a non-toxic alternative.

2. Cancer Prevention: Unfortunately, the same chemical exposures that mess with our hormones are often linked to greater risks down the road. For me, reducing the amount of toxins my body has to process feels like the most proactive step I can take in the fight for long-term health.

This commitment to a "Minimal Clean, Maximum Impact" life is how I am taking back control. My home is now a sanctuary where I’m not constantly worrying about what’s off-gassing, leaching, or disrupting my system.

If you’re a new homeowner or just someone dealing with confusing health issues—from fatigue to hormone troubles—know that what you bring into your home matters. This blog is now a blueprint for how I’m building a healthier future, and I’m so glad you’re here to join the mission.

Let’s focus on the simple swaps that make the biggest difference.