New Study: Glyphosate Damages Ovaries & Uterus and Lessens Chance of Pregnancy

The dangers of the contaminated weed killer glyphosate—the most widely used herbicide in the world—cannot be overstated. Thanks to the introduction of genetically modified (GMO) crops in the 1990s, selfishly engineered to resist glyphosate, farmers began spraying the toxic substance directly on crops, boosting its presence in our environment and food supply. Along with significantly disrupting hormones and being labeled as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” recent studies have linked glyphosate to fertility problems and difficulties during pregnancy. Now, a new study published on March 12, 2025, has found that glyphosate significantly damages the ovaries and uterus so severely that it becomes more difficult for women to get pregnant.

Indeed, despite the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stance that glyphosate is safe for humans, recent studies link exposure to the poison to cancer, metabolic and endocrine disorders, infertility, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and psychological issues. Moreover, current literature on glyphosate’s impact on female reproductive health suggests associations with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS, which affects the ovaries, fertility, and periods, among other symptoms), endometriosis (an often painful condition where the endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus), infertility (which is primarily caused by both PCOS and endometriosis), and adverse pregnancy outcomes. These findings certainly raise public health concerns about fertility and epigenetic outcomes related to the profitable contaminant. The study researchers stated:

“Collectively, these findings raise concerns about potential associations between [glyphosate-based herbicide] exposure and female reproductive system diseases, including PCOS, endometriosis, and subfertility/infertility.”

To conduct their study, titled “Re-Evaluating the Use of Glyphosate-based Herbicides: Implications of Fertility,” the authors examined studies from PubMed through March 2024. They focused on how glyphosate impacts the constantly under-attack female reproductive system, along with the clinical implications of reproductive health outcomes. Without question, they discovered that glyphosate harms the female reproductive system and increases the risk of infertility and disease in a myriad of ways.

A quick search of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) website for glyphosate yielded 47 results. The first result, titled “Questions and Answers on Glyphosate,” and current as of March 5, 2024, states that the EPA evaluates pesticides to ensure they are safe for human health and the environment when used according to label directions. It also states the EPA is “responsible for issuing regulations establishing, modifying, suspending, or revoking tolerances, which are limits on the amount of a pesticide chemical residue a food can contain.”

If glyphosate causes cancer, disrupts hormones, and negatively impacts reproduction, among other harms, as countless studies suggest, that is certainly significant. Yet, the FDA webpage notes that the EPA maintains that glyphosate has a low toxicity for humans, while pets may be at risk of digestive or intestinal problems if they touch or eat plants that have just been sprayed. In its role, the FDA, tasked in part with protecting public health by ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply, didn’t consider testing for glyphosate to guarantee that pesticide residues on or in domestic and imported foods remain within EPA tolerances until 2016. Even then, overlooking all the studies demonstrating glyphosate’s destructiveness, the FDA insists that all testing since then has been below the tolerance levels set by the EPA. Of course they do.

Despite assurances from taxpayer funded government agencies that glyphosate is safe, and with a renewed hope for positive change within our government health agencies, the effects of glyphosate on the delicate balance that makes up female reproductive health, as yet again confirmed in the recent study, are terrifying and warrant being shared until glyphosate is no longer a threat. So, we shall share.

The study reiterates that glyphosate functions as a clear endocrine disruptor, interfering with estrogen signaling and inhibiting enzymes critical for the production of estrogen. As a result, this disruption impairs ovarian function, alters the structure of the uterus, and hinders embryo implantation. Obviously, this results in reproductive challenges. Likewise, exposure to glyphosate diminishes ovarian function, reducing egg quantity and quality. It also damages ovarian follicles, which are crucial for hormone production and egg development. Thus, contributing further to infertility.

But the damage to a woman’s reproductive system from glyphosate exposure doesn’t stop there. The study found that toxic glyphosate increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cellular, protein, and DNA damage. Glyphosate exposure also impairs zinc absorption, which is vital for egg development and protection against oxidative stress and decreases the activity of protective enzymes. This oxidative stress disrupts immune function, reproduction, hormones, brain function, metabolism, and gene expression.

And it gets worse. Along with harming ovarian function, glyphosate and glyphosate-based contaminants cause damage to the uterus by altering its structure, harming tissue, and impairing processes, including blood vessel formation and the successful implantation of embryos. These changes open the door for infertility, early pregnancy loss, and endometrial hyperplasia, which is an abnormally thick uterine lining. Besides that, the researchers found that glyphosate exposure elevates inflammation and disrupts vital pregnancy hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, resulting in adverse pregnancy outcomes and fetal development problems.

Lastly, the researchers found that glyphosate induces epigenetic changes, altering gene expression (whether genes are turned “off” or “on”) without modifying the actual DNA sequences. As noted by USRTK, this means maternal exposure to glyphosate, especially during pregnancy or sensitive periods during fetal development, can lead to congenital abnormalities. Alarmingly, these genetic changes can be inherited, promoting disease in future generations long after initial exposure.

The fact that glyphosate is permitted to impair reproduction potentially permanently is maddening and must cease. We already know that glyphosate has been found in breast milk (and we know infant formula is toxic and laden with heavy metals), which means newborn babies, if conceived, as countless obstacles are pushing to block that from happening, are exposed to it through breastfeeding. With developing immune systems, they are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of toxins like glyphosate. Essentially, until something changes, along with those pesky weeds that the billionaires destroying our health don’t have time to pull, mothers—and the future children of this earth—are being exterminated by glyphosate.