5 Chemicals That Can Harm Fertility

Archive for Female Infertility

5 Chemicals That Can Harm Fertility

February 29, 2012 Clear Passage Physical Therapy 8 comments

Fertility in both males and females can be harmed with the use of these common chemicals found in your everyday life. Take a look at this list to find out what hidden products you may be using that are impacting your chances of conceiving.

BPA

Bisphenol A, or BPA. This chemical can be found in many plastic bottles, most canned food and even receipts (BPA free receipts are those with the red spots on the back). When high levels of BPA have been found in urine, it has been linked with lower-quality sperm in men and less-viable eggs in women.

How to avoid this fertility buster:

Shop from the fresh produce aisle in the grocery store, avoid drinking from plastic bottles, and go paperless when it comes to receipts (hey, you are helping the environment, as well!)

GMOs

Genetically engineered, or GMO. This chemical can be found in many foods contacting soy or corn. These crops, including corn, soy, and canola, are genetically manipulated to withstand heavy loads of toxic pesticides. In a 2008 study, it was found that genetically engineered food damaged test animals ability to reproduce.

Solve this issue:

Go organic. Although it may be slightly more costly for some foods, it pays off in the long run.

Nonstick chemicals

Easy to clean pots, pans and baking wear. These destructive chemicals begin sticking to food with high use. Check your pots and pans for scratches and chips. Danish researchers found that men with higher levels of a common nonstick chemicals, perfluoroalkyl acids, had half the amount of healthy sperm of men with the lowest levels. It has also been found that women who have higher levels of nonstick chemicals in the body longer to become pregnant.

Live without this chemical:

Prepare your food at home, so you know what goes into your meals and use untreated cookware (glass, iron, etc.)

Nitrates

Found in polluted drinking water, this chemical has been associated with reproductive problems, cancers, and spontaneous abortion. Watch out for this problem in areas where chemical fertilizers are used regularly.

Check Your Water:

Use the EWG’s What is Your Water? Gadget if you drink municipal water. If you’re on well water, have an EPA-approved water-testing facility check for common well contaminants. If you find nitrates in your water, buy a water filter for your home to protect your family.

Pesticides

Atrazine, a common chemical weed killer used heavily in the Midwest, on Southern sugar cane farms, and on golf courses, has been detected in tap water. Its widespread use is not good news for couples trying to conceive, since it and other pesticides have been linked to miscarriage and infertility.

Protect yourself:

Buy safe, natural lawn care products and install a home water filter.

Want to find out more about Natural Fertility? It’s Easy.

Conditions, Educational Articles, Female Infertility, Fertility, Recent Posts chemicals, fertility

How Old is Too Old To Get Pregnant?

February 14, 2012 Clear Passage Physical Therapy 5 comments

Dr. Oz sat down with a panel of experts to weigh in on how old is too old to have a baby.

In today’s society, woman want it all: The perfect mate, a successful career, and a family. But can a woman really have it all realistically? On a recent show, Dr. Oz explored the controversial topic of the increasing trend of women waiting longer and longer to conceive. What are the health risks, the financial costs, and society’s view of women waiting to have children at a later age?

Health Risks:

At age 42, 50% of women with miscarry in utero.
Chromosomal Abnormalities (Down Syndrome, etc.)

At Age 20- There is a risk of 1 in 1,400
At Age 40- There is a risk of 1 in 30
At Age 45- There is a risk of 1 in 12

Financial Costs:

Women who are waiting longer and longer to have a baby are forced to turn to science through a number of expensive alternatives and most weigh the cost of fertility treatment. Jennifer Lahl, president of the Center for Bioethics & Cultural Network, says, our fertile days are limited…If a women if over 40, she is going to need to use the eggs of an older women.

Society’s Thoughts:

After a discussion of the health risks, the audience and experts weighed in on how society judges women who give birth after 40.

Women will have to face judgement from onlookers
Women will have to make sacrifices whether it be their career, financial freedom, or emotional independence
Regret later in life for not having children

Dr. Oz polled a group of women, posing the questions, "How old is too old to have a baby?"

For women who want to wait, Dr. Oz, his panel, and the audience discussed several issues:

It is better to wait to find the right partner–Do not rush the decision because of your biological clock.
As an older woman, you will be more mature and better able to provide for your children.
With age comes financial stability and therefore you will be better able to support and provide for your children.

What do you guys think? How old is too old to have a baby?

Female Infertility, Fertility cost of infertility, dr. oz, fertility, infertility

Best Fertility Apps for your Smart Phone

January 31, 2012 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

Here is a collection of fertility apps available for your Iphone or Ipad that we have gathered for our Clear Passage blog readers.

Feel free to recommend your favorite apps.

Boost Fertility

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The 'Boost Fertility' application will tell you how to boost your fertility naturally though lifestyle and diet changes and taking supplements and herbs. A study conducted by the University of Surrey showed that couples with a previous history of infertility who made changes in their lifestyle, diet and took nutritional supplements had an 80 percent success rate. The success rate for assisted conception is around 20 percent, therefore it's definitely worth considering the natural approach.

Don’t forget to download this FREE resource on a Natural Infertility Treatment!

Educational Articles, Female Infertility apps, infertility

Celebrities Are Like Us: Infertility

January 17, 2012 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

Approximately 6,000,000 U.S. women are presently diagnosed with infertility.

Infer tility can be a result of a number a factors, affecting the average woman and celebrities alike. Causes can range from hormonal issues (e.g. high FSH, premature ovarian failure, ovulation problems) to mechanical causes (e.g. blocked fallopian tubes). Approximately 6,000,000 U.S. women are presently diagnosed with infertility.

40% (2.4 million) are infertile due to “mechanical” causes
40% have “medical or hormonal” infertility
20% are diagnosed infertile due to “unexplained” causes, often a combination of the other two.

Struggling with infertility can make you feel isolated. Hearing about celebrities with infertility and who have overcome their battle can help you find comfort and hope in your situation.

Brooke Shields

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" As natural as we’d all like it to seem, it’s important for women to be aware of potential problems and to take control. Two eggs do not an omelette make," Brooke Shields.

Female Infertility, Fertility, Recent Posts, Secondary Infertility celebrity, infertility, IVF

Learn About FSH and Infertility

December 29, 2011 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

As we age, fertility declines; it’s as simple as that. Medical literature is replete with references that indicate that a woman’s 35th birthday marks the decline of her fertility as she moves toward menopause. However, the age of this “marker” can vary from woman to woman.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)

Reproductive endocrinologists and other infertility specialists have created specific criteria to measure declining reproductive ability as women age. There are several methods, but perhaps the most commonly accepted measure of age-related decline in fertility is to determine the level of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) in the blood, early in the menstrual cycle.

As a woman ages, her eggs have a more difficult time maturing. Thus, the pituitary gland must create more and more FSH to stimulate follicle growth with each passing year. When physicians note this increase in FSH levels, they have a good indication that fertility is declining, and a measurement to quantify that decline. FSH levels are a primary test for a woman’s ability to conceive and carry a birth to term naturally, and by IVF if she plans to use her own eggs. Women with high FSH levels may be encouraged to adopt, or to use eggs from another woman (called donor eggs). If the body’s endocrine system could be adjusted to turn back time and proper FSH levels could be restored, a woman would presumably have a better chance for a full-term pregnancy, whether naturally or through assisted reproductive techniques.

Clear Passage Physical Therapy and High FSH

Successful reproductive activity and hormone levels depend on a medically recognized communication loop between the ovaries (in your pelvis) and the pituitary and hypothalamus glands (in the center of your head.)

Housed within a well-protected cavity of the sphenoid bone in the center of your skull, the pituitary gland is considered the “master gland” of female reproduction. While physicians recognize that a communication loop occurs among this gland, the hypothalamus that borders it and the ovaries, several feet away, the exact mechanism of that intricate communication loop remains a mystery. That loop, called the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, is largely responsible for whether or not a woman can bring a fertilized egg to maturity, during the process of reproduction.

The physical therapists initially thought that they could not affect hormone levels because it was assumed that the communication loop had nothing to do with the biomechanics of bodily structures. However, they have come to question that assumption as more and more women treated with POF become pregnant and deliver healthy full-term babies, despite having very high or menopausal FSH levels before therapy.

Watch one of Clear Passage’s Success Stories below:

Conditions, Female Infertility, Fertility, IVF fsh, infertility, IVF

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