A new study reveals that chemicals that are used in almost everything may have a significant impact on women’s fertility.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States, found that these materials are widely used: from cosmetics to food containers to firefighting foam.
The study was approved, published in the journal environment Sciencebased on evidence from a sample of women in Singapore linking plasma concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with increased difficulty conceiving.
Perfluoroalkyl substances are a diverse group of man-made chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products.
The results show that the concentration of chemicals is “silently endangering our health”.
Because they are widely used, their “toxins” are too great to be ignored.
According to the study, these substances can disrupt reproductive hormones, and have recently been linked to a delayed onset of puberty and an increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome.
“What our study adds is that PFAS may also reduce fertility in women who are generally healthy and trying to conceive naturally,” says senior author of the new study, environmental epidemiologist Damaskin Valvevi.
The researchers found that the decrease in the probability of pregnancy may reach 30 or 40 percent within a year in women who are exposed to many chemicals.
Study co-author Nathan Cohen says women who plan to become pregnant should avoid these substances.