Chemicals and Infertility

You practically have to be a chemist to go shopping these days. There are chemicals in absolutely everything! And when you’re dealing with infertility, it’s hard to know what’s worth paying attention to and what’s just clever marketing.

Unfortunately, many of these chemicals are very harmful to your hormones, your fertility, and your overall health. These ingredients can be hard to avoid, but there are several small changes you can make to reduce your overall exposure to these toxins.

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS AND FERTILITY

There’s a good chance you’ve heard the term ‘endocrine disruptor’, but do you actually know what it means? Most people don’t.

An endocrine disruptor is a chemical compound that interferes with your endocrine system, the system that regulates your hormones. When it’s disrupted, it increases the production of certain hormones and decreases the production of others.

A lot of the chemicals we’re exposed to through plastics, cleaning products, air fresheners, and personal care products are endocrine disruptors. And several of them are estrogen mimickers that masquerade as naturally occurring estrogen when they get into our bodies. This can cause estrogen dominance which leads to painful periods, exaggerated PMS symptoms, uterine cancer, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis, higher risk of breast cancer, and infertility in women.

But here’s the tricky part, most estrogen dominance isn’t just a hormone problem. It’s a chemical problem. And trying to rebalance your hormones without decreasing your exposure to toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals is just about as productive as trying to refill a bucket that has a giant hole in the bottom.

Ditch These Chemicals to Detox for Fertility

There are three main chemicals you want to avoid when you’re trying to get pregnant. There are actually a ton more than that, but these estrogen mimickers are pretty harmful to your reproductive health and they’re commonly found in the products you come in contact with everyday.

BPA

BPA is in the lining of most canned foods, soda cans, cash register receipts, microwave popcorn, fast foods, and plastic (like cling wrap, water bottles, shower curtains, and food containers). High levels are linked to decreased egg quality, reduced ability for an embryo to implant, decreased sperm production and quality, reduced success rate with fertility treatment, and increased miscarriage rates. BPA is also known to cause cancer, hormone imbalances, and behavioral issues. 

To avoid BPA, eliminate plastics when you can, especially those marked with a “PC” for polycarbonate and containers labeled #3 or  #7 in the little recycling triangle. Also look for cans specifically labeled BPA Free.

Phthalates

Phthalates are a group of chemicals made to increase the durability of plastics. They’re found in perfumes, candles, air fresheners, personal care items, cosmetics, nail polish, and cleaning products. Phthalates have been linked to PCOS, low semen count and reduced sperm quality in men, and issues with the development of reproductive organs in babies.

The easiest way to reduce how many Phthalates you’re exposed to is to avoid anything that says ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ on the label. This is a loophole companies use to sneak whatever cheap chemicals they want into their products without having to disclose them. There are hundreds of ingredients able to be called ‘fragrance,’ meaning you have no way of knowing what you’re putting on your body. This is often where phthalates are hidden.

The good news is Phthalates are water soluble so there’s a lot you can do to get them out of your body (like drinking lots of water, detoxing your liver, and sweating), but the first step is to stop exposure.

Triclosan

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antimicrobial chemical used in many personal care products. It’s in deodorants, shaving creams, toothpastes, body washes, first aid ointments, mouth washes, dish soaps, and even credit cards.

Fortunately, it’s no longer in antibacterial soaps because the FDA banned it in 2016 for being unsafe. But because of the weird way products are regulated, Triclosan is still in 2,000+ products even after the ban. Since these products aren’t making specific antibacterial claims, they’re able to call triclosan a preservative even though it’s been linked to menstruation issues and infertility.

There’s no such thing as a “non-toxic” bubble, so do the best you can. 

While it’s impossible to completely eliminate these endocrine disruptors, finding fertility friendly swaps will make a big difference over time. Websites and apps like EWG’s Healthy Living, Madesafe.org, Think Dirty, Yuka, and Clearya can help you keep an eye out for common hormone disruptors so you can avoid buying them.

Start small and do what your schedule and budget allow. These changes will benefit you for the rest of your life, not just when you’re trying to conceive. 

Whether you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a month or a decade, we’re here for you. 

Join me for my next Overcoming Infertility webinar and we can walk this journey together. It’s free; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.