There are multiple environmental causes of infertility.
Besides smoking, pesticides and other toxic chemicals, some things that may seem harmless have been shown to contribute to infertility, as well as miscarriage, still birth and birth defects.
Here are some environmental causes of infertility:
- Car exhaust increases incidence of infertility. A common compound of car exhaust, benzoapyrene, or BaP, causes a significant reduction in fertility of test animals, showing a 33% reduction in ovarian weight as well as a marked reduction in ovarian follicles.
Drs. P. Kristensen, Einar Eilertsen, et al. ,National Institute of Occupation Health, Norway ,Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 103:588-590, 1995
- That cup of java in the morning could also affect your fertility! According to a study of 1909 women done by the Yale University School of Medicine, the risk of not conceiving within 12 months was 55% higher for those who drank one cup of coffee per day, 100% higher for those who drink 1-½ to 3 cups of coffee per day and 176% higher for women who drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day.
Drs. Larry Dulgosz, Michael B. Brachs ,Yale University School of Medicine Epidemiologic Reviews Vol. 14, pg. 83, 1992
- When the mother drinks 2-3 cups of coffee or more every day, there is over twice the risk of miscarriage.
Dr. Claire Infante-Rivard, Department of Occupation Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Quebec Canada Journal of the American Medical Association December 22, 1993
- Can drinking coffee dumb you down? Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee found that subjects who consumed one cup of coffee showed a 20-25% decrease in blood flow to the brain half an hour after drinking it.
This doesn’t really have anything to do with infertility, but it is interesting.
- The food additive MSG has been shown to reduce pregnancy success. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, has been shown to reduce fertility in animals. Besides causing infertility or lessened fertility, the offspring of male lab rats given MSG were shorter and overweight compared to normal subjects.
With so many common household things being counted among the environmental causes of infertility, it might not be a bad idea for any couple anxious to start a family to do some research on this subject, so as to avoid as many harmful substances as possible.
Environmental Causes of Infertility Part 4
Caffeine Junkies: Coffee Might be Affecting Your Fertility
Environmental Causes of Infertility Part 1
Environmental Causes of Infertility Part 2