The increase in environmental hazards due to the increase in the environment of heavy metals in industrial regions provokes a negative impact on the reproductive system of men and women. Heavy metals as toxicants represent a hidden and long-term threat to the imbalance of various physiological processes at the macro-, micro-and ultrastructural levels. The results of intoxication of the body depend on many factors: dose, frequency of administration, form of the substance, solubility of the toxicant, method of entry into the body. The interaction of toxicants with target structures is subject to the same laws as any chemical reaction occurring outside the body, and that is why it is dependent on the properties of the substance. Enzymotoxic, membrane toxic effects and oxidative stress are currently considered the key mechanisms of cell metabolism disorders when biological objects are exposed to heavy metals. One of the most widespread negative effects of heavy metals is the inactivation of enzymes, which is accompanied by a violation of cellular metabolism and physiological processes. The enzyme-toxic activity of heavy metals is due to the substitution of the necessary metal in the enzyme composition and its interaction with sulfhydryl groups (-SH) of protein molecules, which are characterized by high biological activity in terms of the implementation of biocatalytic, biosynthetic and energetic functions. The results of modern research show that cadmium has a powerful toxic effect on the reproductive system, which is associated with the development of changes in metabolic processes, in particular, a decrease in the concentration of selenium in the reproductive organs. Cadmiumassociated disorders of the functional activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system in men are manifested by a violation of both the hormonal regulation of the reproductive system and the functioning of the epitheliospermatogenic layer of the seminal glands, causing pathological changes in both the quantitative and qualitative composition of sperm. Heavy metals have a toxic effect on the reproductive system of women, while the toxic effect is determined on the fertilization process and on Журнал «Перспективи та інновації науки» (Серія «Педагогіка», Серія «Психологія», Серія «Медицина») № 3(37) 2024