Can PFAS from cookware and food packaging cause miscarriage?

What's actually in it

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from nonstick cookware, food packaging, and stain-resistant products accumulate in blood and have a half-life of years. During pregnancy, PFAS cross the placenta. They disrupt hormones that regulate implantation and early pregnancy maintenance, including progesterone and estrogen.

Early pregnancy loss is often hormonal. If PFAS are disrupting the hormonal signaling that sustains early pregnancy, miscarriage rates would be expected to increase.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Res analyzed data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, one of the largest pregnancy cohort studies in the world. They found that higher PFAS exposure was associated with elevated miscarriage risk. The association was present across multiple PFAS types and was dose-related.

This is a large, well-controlled study, not a small animal experiment. The population size and rigorous design give the findings considerable weight.

For people trying to conceive or in early pregnancy, replacing nonstick cookware with stainless steel cookware is the single most impactful household change to reduce ongoing PFAS exposure.