Are Toxic Chemicals in Your Life Making You Infertile?

There has been more recent evidence stating the link between toxic chemicals in your every day beauty, cooking and household items that could be making it more difficult for you to get pregnant.

I have written posts previously about BPA and the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These chemicals can linger in the environment for thousands of years and have been linked to infertility.

This most recent evidence comes from a study by American and Singaporean researchers who suggest that the impact of PFAS on fertility could be even greater than suspected.

What they discovered was that women with several types of PFAS in their blood who were trying to conceive had an up to 40 per cent lower chance of getting pregnant.

As a result of this research; scientists said the results should serve as a warning to women wanting to have a child to steer clear of the chemicals which are added to everything from cookware, clothing, and makeup for their stain and water resisting properties.

Research author Dr Damaskini Valvi said their study was one of the first to suggest that the chemicals could damage the fertility of even healthy women.

What ARE ‘forever chemicals’?

‘Forever chemicals’ are a class of common industrial compounds that don’t break down when they’re released into the environment.

Humans are exposed to these chemicals after they’ve come in contact with food, soil or water reservoirs.

These chemicals (PFAS) are added to cookware, carpets, textiles and other items to make them more water- and stain-repellent.

The chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of birth defects as well.

In their study, American and Singaporean researchers analysed blood samples taken from 1,032 women.

All of them were trying for a baby and had an average age of 30, with samples taken between 2015 and 2017.

Researchers analysed the samples for 15 specific kinds of PFAS and then followed each woman for at least one year to see if she successfully conceived.

The researchers, from the Mount Sinai health organisation in New York, found higher PFAS exposure was linked to reduced odds of having a baby.

This was true for both individual types of PFAS and when their effects were combined.

Studies have also suggested they damage the immune system and raise the risk of birth defects.