We are learning more and more about the connection between environmental pollutants and fertility problems in both males and females. A recent study out of Brazil showed that women exposed to high levels of air pollution prior to conceiving had a much higher risk of miscarriage.
What does this mean to us in the US?
First of all, learn about the air quality in your area around the time you are planning on conceiving especially if you are planning on doing a treatment that requires a huge investment of your time and energy like an IVF cycle. The researchers from Brazil felt that their data was compelling enough that they recommended that women wait and conceive when there was less pollution. You can go to this website to learn about the air quality in your city.
http://www.sparetheair.org/Stay-Informed/Todays-Air-Quality.aspx
I think that we are going to see the day where you will be going to see your doctor for your routine “biomonitoring” appointment. Biomonitoring is the testing of human specimens such as blood, urine, hair, fat, bone, etc for the presence and level of toxic chemicals. This may be part of the infertility work-up at some point in the future. Currently, this type of testing is very expensive and not done routinely but I imagine a day when this testing will be widely available.
To learn more about the impact of environmental contaminants on reproductive health and fertility, read this great article:Environment and Fertility – Great Article!
To read more about the study from Brazil, click here: Environment and Fertility
Hope this helps!
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