Understanding the toll environmental factors take on fertility health
Infertility rates are at an all-time high around the world.
According to Geeta Nargund, Head of Reproductive Medicine services at St George’s University Hospital in London, environmental factors, especially in urbanization and for those living a more urban lifestyle, is one of the leading causes of increased infertility.
I'll go into detail for some of those environmental factors below. I also highly recommend that you take notes, do your own research, and invest the extra time and care to make decisions that will decrease your exposure, whether or not you're trying to conceive.
Xenoestrogen/Plastic polymers
Endocrine disruptors (a category of chemicals that alter the normal function of human hormones), also called xenoestrogens, have an estrogen-like effect on the body.
That means that when chemicals from outside of your body get inside your body, they have the ability to mimic estrogen; also blocking or binding important hormone receptors in your body. This is particularly detrimental to hormone sensitive organs like the uterus and the breast as well as the immune and neurological systems, all of which lead to balanced fertility hormones as well as human development (yours and your theoretical child's).
Examples of everyday items regularly include xenoestrogens are:
Fruits and vegetables sprayed with pesticides
Plastic water bottles and Tupperware
Food coloring
Sunscreen
Birth control
The list goes on and on. Here's one of many compilations to help you get in the loop.
Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMFs)
This is a biggun! EMF radiation has been shown to decrease sperm count and motility in men as well as being associated with a three times higher risk for miscarriage. It's also been proven to cause developmental issues in the womb.
Many researchers believe that neuroendocrine changes caused by EMFs are the reason behind infertility in women.
So what's an EMF?!
All technology emits Electromagnetic Field radiation, or EMF radiation. EMFs have become one of the most widespread environmental toxins over the last 20 or so years, which is the same time period the world has experienced a drop in fertility rates.
Scarily enough, even if you aren’t using a device, you are still more than likely exposed in some capacity seeing how WiFi and cell phone service is more or less everywhere these days and only expanding (thank you, 5G, dare you go down that rabbit hole).
The most harmful (and well-known) currents are call high-frequency alternating field currents. Those bad boy penetrate walls and cannot be switched off. They always have a transmitter that generates them; however, they do not need a receiver to have an effect on you. These examples will be familiar to you:
Mobile/Cell phones and phone towers
Microwave ovens
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
Electrosmog (that's a thing!) is in the air all around us, and though the government has set maximum exposure levels, these limits are unrealistically high and likely sacrifice our safety as a way of catering corporate, industrial, and political interests.
The guidelines of Building Biologists are well below government-established limits, and provide a more reasonable and realistic idea of how much exposure remains safe.
Ways to lower your exposure to EMFs
Carry your phone away from your body (do not keep it in your bra, pocket or against your skin). Carry it in a bag, or an even better option is using an EMF-shielding device case or pouch. These block up to 100% of EMF radiation from reaching your body.
Think about using a laptop shield to protect your lap and other parts of your body from EMF radiation. When not working at a desk, cover yourself with a radiation protection blanket to shield your body from the EMFs emitted from your device, as well as WiFi signals in the room.
Keep your device in Airplane Mode or turn off WiFi and Bluetooth connections whenever possible. Even if you are not using these functions, your phone sends out a continuous signal to search for a wireless connection.
Put your WiFi router on a timer so that automatically turns off every night. You can also use an Ethernet cable at home instead of WiFi to reduce wireless Internet signals.
Heavy metals
I'm not talking about thrashy, feel-it-in-your-body bass, or distorted guitar-filled music here. The heavy metal I'm referring to here are commonly used in products that can be found in most anyone's home, including:
Non-stick pans
Glazed ceramics
Pesticides
Soaps
Plastic toys
Eye shadow and lipstick
Examples of heavy metals include lead, arsenic, cadmium, or mercury, and although these are “natural” elements, over a period of time or in high doses, they can definitely affect fertility.
Some of those proven affects include increased risk for miscarriage, uterine and chromosomal abnormalities, and reduced lymphocyte counts.
Germaine M. Buck Louis, who works at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, led a study called the LIFE Study (short for the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment). The study discusses the negatively affected quality of semen as it relates to environmental factors; increasing with age due to prolonged exposure to those factors over the years.
Excess sugar consumption
How can something sweet make trying to conceive turn sour? It all breaks down to how the body reacts to sugar.
ALERT: this is not an anti-sugar article! You're safe to proceed...
In fact, sugar is needed to fuel the body. Heck, the brain alone needs 100-150 grams of glucose every day to function optimally. "Moderation is key" is incredibly applicable for this topic.
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar is proven to be literally toxic to both male and female fertility. Studies have shown that excess sugar suppresses the immune system and that prolonged use can lead to a list of fertility problems including:
Hormone disruption
Insulin resistance
Chronic yeast infections
Decreased sperm health
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
"You are what you eat" definitely holds true when it comes to cultivating healthy fertility.
In conclusion
Of course you can't cut out all exposure to environmental factors that contribute to infertility. But with wisdom comes responsibility to make decisions that will help lessen your exposure in ways that you can control.
May you stay informed.
May you be healthy.
May you be fertile (you know...if that's a goal of yours).
By Sam Jump
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