Fertility Impairment
It is a reflection of general health and well-being, and can also indicate a hidden or undiagnosed genetic abnormality. This goes a long way in an integrated and holistic approach. Disruption to any stage of ovulation, fertilization, implantation can lead to the impaired fertility.
It is a serious problem in the modern world. The number of problematic couples is growing. At the moment about 16% of couples in Canada have problems with conception falling into the infertility category. For comparison, in 1984 this figure was 5%. 40% – male factor, 40% – female, 10% – combinations, 10% – unknown.
Groups of factors affecting the quality of the egg and sperm
- Aging is the main factor for the egg. At the same time, sperm from older men have a very small increase in the risk of genetic defects.
- Bad habits.
- Reproductive hazards. The three general categories of reproductive hazards are:
- physical factors such as radiation, exposure to electrical shock, excessive vibration or heat, working conditions, and physical demands
- biological factors such as viruses, parasites
- toxic agents, the exposure happens via ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact; some fetal toxicant exposures are concurrent with the pregnancy; others are the result of an exposure in the past, with ongoing maternal elimination of the toxicant or from mobilization of stored toxicants (polychlorinated biphenyls from fat stores, lead from bone stores)
Examples
Reproductive toxicants
A large number of environmental factors are associated with impaired fertility in both women and men. In particular, persistent organic pollutants (POP) are resistant to degradation in the environment through chemical, biological or photolytic processes. Many of them were used in the past and a lot of them are still in use presently: insecticides, detergents, phenols, esther phthalates, pesticides, solvents, and other industrial chemicals like polyfluorinated compounds, bisphenol A (BPA), lead.
POPs, such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), used in the manufacturing of electrical equipment before 1979, but as a result we have contaminated soil and water till this time. Other POPs like dioxins and furans(by-products of incomplete combustion, including forest fires, volcanoes eruptions, engines exhausts, cigarette smoke, various industrial processes like metal smelting, bleaching during paper manufacturing, pesticide and herbicide production – they all accumulate in fat tissue of animals and then are present in food. POPs cause developmental problems, immunosuppression, tumors, they also mimic estrogens and cause endometriosis in animal models. Endometriosis is also associated with other substances leading to hormonal disorders. For example, women who were regularly fed with soy milk (baby formula) as infants are at increased risk of endometriosis.
If you are interested in this and other health topics, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine can work with you at 101 Medical Center. Learn more.