1. Household chemicals
Common household chemicals are rife with sulfates, Triclosan, chlorine, and a host of others that are both damaging to the environment and to your health. Exposure to chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol-A), an endocrine disrupter, could “be playing a role in reproductive disordersâ€, and I’m sure it doesn’t stop there.
2. Pesticides
Pesticides, be they on the plants in your garden or on the food you eat, contain chemicals such as DDT, DPCP, and Atrazine. While they are very effective against insects and pests, they can also kill sperm (DDT and DPCP), and lower the sperm count in men and act as an estrogen disrupter in animals (Atrazine).
3. Red meat
Red non-organic meat, specifically red meat, such as beef, is notorious for being as riddled with hormones as a teenager. In fact, a steady diet of this meat is believed to induce early puberty in girls. These “synthetic hormones that mimic the effects of estrogen†can also have an adverse effect on your fertility.
4. Genetically Modified Foods
GMOs-genetically modified foods i.e., those which have had their natural, organic state tampered with in some way, to effects we are as yet unaware of. While producing GMOs has been for some (see: Monsanto) quite lucrative, the effects GMOs have on humans is still being researched, but studies have shown that GMOs could have “a damaging effect upon the reproductive system.â€
5. Air pollutions
It is to our great detriment that fresh air isn’t so fresh anymore, and constantly breathing in the output of cars, buses, and factories doesn’t do anyone any good. This is backed, of course, by an American Fertility Association article which says “that too much exposure to air pollution can impair fertility in both men and women.â€
6. Technology
For all the advances we have made technologically, it appears that we haven’t made laptops or mobile phones completely risk-free. For men, keeping your laptop as the name suggests-on your lap-could lower sperm count due to the heat produced. For women, exposure to the computer “more than 20 hours per week†could make you “at a higher risk for pregnancy loss because of electromagnetic radiation (EMR).â€
7. Cigarette smoke
Whether you smoke yourself, have a partner who does, or are just unfortunate enough to be caught behind a smoker while walking along the road, inhaling cigarette smoke exposes you to tar, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia, and thousands of other chemicals. And those chemicals can cause a whole host of problems, from low sperm count to spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
8. Medicine
While having kids is possibly the last thing one would think about during cancer treatment, depending on your age, the medicine you take could damage sperm, and therefore your chances of reproducing after recovery.
9. Cosmetics
Common cosmetics are full of chemicals such as parabens, which have been found in breast cancer tissue, phthalates, and even lead in “hair dye, hair products, [and] some red lipstickâ€. Phthalates have “been proven to be a reproductive toxinâ€, and lead can reduce fertility in both men and women.
10. Plastics
Are everywhere, and unfortunately can often contain BPA, which many studies say can causes women to have “repeat spontaneous abortionsâ€.
What can be done?
Common household chemicals are rife with sulfates, Triclosan, chlorine, and a host of others that are both damaging to the environment and to your health. Exposure to chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol-A), an endocrine disrupter, could “be playing a role in reproductive disordersâ€, and I’m sure it doesn’t stop there.
2. Pesticides
Pesticides, be they on the plants in your garden or on the food you eat, contain chemicals such as DDT, DPCP, and Atrazine. While they are very effective against insects and pests, they can also kill sperm (DDT and DPCP), and lower the sperm count in men and act as an estrogen disrupter in animals (Atrazine).
3. Red meat
Red non-organic meat, specifically red meat, such as beef, is notorious for being as riddled with hormones as a teenager. In fact, a steady diet of this meat is believed to induce early puberty in girls. These “synthetic hormones that mimic the effects of estrogen†can also have an adverse effect on your fertility.
4. Genetically Modified Foods
GMOs-genetically modified foods i.e., those which have had their natural, organic state tampered with in some way, to effects we are as yet unaware of. While producing GMOs has been for some (see: Monsanto) quite lucrative, the effects GMOs have on humans is still being researched, but studies have shown that GMOs could have “a damaging effect upon the reproductive system.â€
5. Air pollutions
It is to our great detriment that fresh air isn’t so fresh anymore, and constantly breathing in the output of cars, buses, and factories doesn’t do anyone any good. This is backed, of course, by an American Fertility Association article which says “that too much exposure to air pollution can impair fertility in both men and women.â€
6. Technology
For all the advances we have made technologically, it appears that we haven’t made laptops or mobile phones completely risk-free. For men, keeping your laptop as the name suggests-on your lap-could lower sperm count due to the heat produced. For women, exposure to the computer “more than 20 hours per week†could make you “at a higher risk for pregnancy loss because of electromagnetic radiation (EMR).â€
7. Cigarette smoke
Whether you smoke yourself, have a partner who does, or are just unfortunate enough to be caught behind a smoker while walking along the road, inhaling cigarette smoke exposes you to tar, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia, and thousands of other chemicals. And those chemicals can cause a whole host of problems, from low sperm count to spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
8. Medicine
While having kids is possibly the last thing one would think about during cancer treatment, depending on your age, the medicine you take could damage sperm, and therefore your chances of reproducing after recovery.
9. Cosmetics
Common cosmetics are full of chemicals such as parabens, which have been found in breast cancer tissue, phthalates, and even lead in “hair dye, hair products, [and] some red lipstickâ€. Phthalates have “been proven to be a reproductive toxinâ€, and lead can reduce fertility in both men and women.
10. Plastics
Are everywhere, and unfortunately can often contain BPA, which many studies say can causes women to have “repeat spontaneous abortionsâ€.
What can be done?
About the Author:
Kate Fathers of Mindful Mum is a Canadian writer living and working in Glasgow who has a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from her hometown university, the University of Windsor. Mindful Mum is an online magazine with help and tools for mums ranging from ovulation calculators to healthy recipies.
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