From ... in Social issues Environmental Electromagnetic Radiation Health — Dec 21, 2024

Environmental toxins and EMFs are causing infertility in men and women

Infertility is becoming more prevalent, affecting millions of people worldwide.

In women, infertility rates have reached 122.38 million cases in 2019, representing an 86% rise since 1990.

Environmental toxins like endocrine-disrupting chemicals (“EDCs”), microplastics and electromagnetic fields (“EMFs”) significantly impact reproductive health and fertility in both men and women.

Lifestyle and health factors such as obesity, sexually transmitted infections, diet and stress also contribute to declining fertility rates across different populations.

Recommended strategies to boost fertility include minimising toxic chemical exposure, eating real, whole organic foods, managing stress, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing EMF exposure.

Consider supplementing with progesterone to protect your reproductive health, as this hormone counteracts the effects of EDCs and supports pregnancy from conception to delivery.

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Environmental Toxins and Poor Health Trends Threaten Fertility Worldwide

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

Infertility is a condition that affects many people, yet diagnosing and addressing it remains a challenge. Traditional diagnostic methods often focus on hormonal levels and reproductive organ health, overlooking broader social, environmental and lifestyle factors. This narrow approach leads to incomplete or inaccurate diagnoses, leaving people without a clear understanding of their condition.

Moreover, the stigma surrounding infertility often discourages people from seeking help. Conventional treatments like assisted reproductive technologies, while beneficial for some, fail to address the underlying causes. These methods are also invasive, costly and don’t always guarantee success.

A more holistic approach that considers not only medical care but also lifestyle, diet and the societal factors shaping reproductive health is essential to address infertility and mitigate its effects on your quality of life.

Infertility in Women Is on the Rise

In women, infertility is characterised by the inability to conceive after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Recent research published in Gynaecologic and Obstetric Investigation¹ shows an alarming increase in female infertility. In 2019, there were 122.38 million cases of female infertility worldwide, marking an 86% increase since 1990.

When adjusting for age differences across populations, the proportion of women experiencing infertility rose by 24%, and the overall impact on health (measured by years of life affected) increased by 25%. The biggest increases were seen in middle- and upper-middle-income countries, highlighting this as a global concern. North America had the highest rates of infertility, while East Asia had the lowest.

Infertility extends beyond the inability to conceive – it also profoundly affects your physical health and emotional well-being, leading to feelings of frustration, anxiety and depression. Beyond the personal struggle, infertility disrupts the natural reproductive process, making it a significant concern for individuals and societies.

What’s Causing Infertility Rates to Increase?

Infertility stems from a complex link between social, economic and health factors. A recent study published in Social Science and Medicine² reframes infertility as more than an individual health issue, focusing on its ties to social, structural and environmental conditions. Key factors include economic status, high cost of living, delayed family planning, gender roles and racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Health trends such as rising obesity rates and the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (“STIs”) further worsen the problem. A recent article published in The New York Times³ highlights concerns from experts who warn about these emerging health trends in the United States that exacerbate infertility.

“Obesity can impact ovulation in women,” Dr. Mary Rosser, the director of Integrated Women’s Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, told The New York Times. Excess weight disrupts hormonal signals required for regular menstrual cycles and is closely linked to polycystic ovary syndrome (“PCOS”). Studies show that between 70% and 80% of women with PCOS struggle with infertility and they also face a higher risk of miscarriage.⁴

Moreover, STIs, if left untreated, lead to complications that impact reproductive organs. STI rates in the United States have been rising for decades, though some have recently levelled off. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) attributes this long-term increase to factors like decreased condom use and the closure of clinics offering STI testing and treatment.⁵

Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are particularly concerning because they cause pelvic inflammatory disease (“PID”) and permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, Dr. Rosser explained. Many STIs are asymptomatic, meaning they often go untreated until they have already harmed fertility.⁶

Experts Warn About Toxins Threatening Fertility

The New York Times article⁷ also explored the impact of exposure to harmful chemicals and substances found in personal care products, air pollution, plastics, pesticides and even food. These environmental toxins are pervasive and affect the general population, who encounter them daily through multiple sources.

Among the most troubling are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (“EDCs”) like phthalates, bisphenol A (“BPA”) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), often called “forever chemicals.” Research has extensively linked these substances to reproductive health issues.

EDCs work by adhering to hormone receptors and directly interfering with the functioning of your steroid hormones, which are vital for pregnancy and foetal development. As a result, these chemicals change how many receptors are present in cells as well as affect the creation, movement, levels and breakdown of hormones in your blood.

“Even very low levels of exposure to endocrine disruptors can increase the risks of reproductive health issues,” said Tracey Woodruff, director of the Programme on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco.⁸

Microplastics – Another Pervasive Source of EDCs

If you’ve followed my articles, you know I’ve consistently warned about the dangers of EDCs. Another important point that I would like to bring up is the presence of EDCs in microplastics, which are ubiquitous in our environment.

Dr. Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, founder of the Montgomery Fertility Centre, links microplastic exposure to declining semen quality, noting that men today are significantly less fertile than previous generations.⁹ Research supports this, with studies showing microplastics accumulate in the testes, causing stress, inflammation and reduced testosterone.¹⁰

Further, a 2024 study published in Toxicological Sciences¹¹ confirmed the presence of microplastics in both human and canine testes. From 23 human male participants, researchers detected an average of 328.44 microgrammes of microplastics per gramme of testicular tissue, with polyethylene being the most common type.

Female fertility is similarly affected. Research¹² shows that microplastics accumulating in the ovaries disrupt follicle dynamics, leading to fewer mature follicles and an increase in cystic and atretic follicles. Follicles play an essential role in ovulation and fertility, and their natural decline with age is accelerated by microplastic exposure. Studies also report that these particles contribute to oxidative stress and impair the ovaries’ antioxidant defences.

Research published in Environment International¹³ also found microplastics in the placenta, where they interfere with maternal-foetal communication, immunity during pregnancy and foetal development. Such disruptions result in complications like preeclampsia and restricted foetal growth.

What’s on Your Dinner Plate Also Affects Your Fertility

Poor food choices add to your toxic load, too. For example, conventional fruits and vegetables today are sprayed with pesticides, including glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. These chemicals are particularly problematic, as they are known endocrine disruptors.

High pesticide exposure from pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables has been associated with an 18% lower in-vitro fertilisation (“IVF”) success rate in women. They were also 26% less likely to have a live birth if they did become pregnant.¹⁴ This clearly illustrates why it’s better to opt for organic, pesticide-free produce.

And if you’re always fond of eating processed foods like frozen pizzas, pancakes and waffles, be warned – these products contain sodium aluminium phosphate, a known neurotoxin that impacts your reproductive health. Used in food products as an emulsifying agent and stabiliser, this ingredient, albeit classified as “safe to consume,”¹⁵ have long-term damaging effects on your fertility.

Microwaves – The Invisible Factor Damaging Your Reproductive Health

Another stealth environmental factor that increases your risk of infertility is your exposure to electromagnetic fields (“EMFs”) and radiofrequency radiation from wireless technologies, like cell [or mobile] phones and Wi-Fi. In fact, I believe this is the most significant reason why sperm counts are dwindling today.¹⁶

According to a 2023 study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility,¹⁷ men who use their cell phones more than 20 times a day have significantly lower sperm concentrations and sperm counts than those who use their phones once a week or less.

Microwave radiation has been found to disrupt cellular function through the activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (“VGCCs”) in cell membranes. When exposed to microwaves, these channels release an excess of calcium ions into the cell – up to a million ions per second.

This surge in intracellular calcium triggers the production of nitric oxide (NO) within cells and mitochondria. Nitric oxide interacts with superoxide to form peroxynitrite, a compound known to cause oxidative stress.

Peroxynitrites also generate hydroxyl free radicals, which are among the most destructive free radicals, capable of inflicting significant damage to mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, cellular membranes and proteins. This cascade of damage ultimately leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Research has highlighted the reproductive risks associated with such exposure. For example, a 2013 children’s health panel on cell phone and Wi-Fi exposure noted that sperm are particularly vulnerable due to the sensitivity of the testicular barrier. Studies have shown that mitochondrial DNA in sperm is damaged at three times the rate when exposed to microwave radiation.¹⁸

Additionally, numerous in-vivo and in-vitro studies have confirmed that electromagnetic fields (“EMFs”) impair reproductive function. A paper published in Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine,¹⁹ found that EMF exposure affects sperm motility, with the degree of damage varying based on the frequency, intensity and duration of exposure.

Solutions to Boost Fertility Naturally

There are indeed various factors that compromise your ability to reproduce, but I believe following some basic common-sense strategies and healthy lifestyle habits will help address the root of infertility. Here’s a summary of my recommendations:

How to Use Progesterone

Before you consider using progesterone, it is important to understand that it is not a magic bullet and that you get the most benefit by implementing a Bioenergetic diet approach that allows you to effectively burn glucose as your primary fuel without backing up electrons in your mitochondria that reduces your energy production. My new book, ‘Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy’, covers this process in great detail.

Once you have dialled in your diet, an effective strategy that can help counteract oestrogen excess is to take transmucosal progesterone (i.e., applied to your gums, not oral or transdermal), which is a natural oestrogen antagonist. Progesterone is one of only four hormones I believe many adults can benefit from. (The other three are thyroid hormone T3, DHEA and pregnenolone.)

I do not recommend transdermal progesterone, as your skin expresses high levels of 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which causes a significant portion of the progesterone you’re taking to be irreversibly converted primarily into allopregnanolone and cannot be converted back into progesterone.

Ideal Way to Administer Progesterone

Please note that when progesterone is used transmucosally on your gums as I advise, the FDA believes that somehow converts it into a drug and prohibits any company from advising that on its label. This is why companies like Health Natura promotes their progesterone products as “topical.”

However, please understand that it is perfectly legal for any physician to recommend an off-label indication for a drug to their patient. In this case, progesterone is a natural hormone and not a drug and is very safe even in high doses. This is unlike synthetic progesterone called progestins that are used by drug companies, but frequently, and incorrectly, referred.

Dr. Ray Peat has done the seminal work in progesterone and probably was the world’s greatest expert on progesterone. He wrote his PhD on oestrogen in 1982 and spent most of his professional career documenting the need to counteract the dangers of excess oestrogen with low LA diets and transmucosal progesterone supplementation.

He determined that most solvents do not dissolve progesterone well and discovered that vitamin E is the best solvent to optimally provide progesterone in your tissue. Vitamin E also protects you against damage from LA. You just need to be very careful about which vitamin E you use as most supplemental vitamin E on the market is worse than worthless and will cause you harm not benefit.

It is imperative to avoid using any synthetic vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate – the acetate indicates that it’s synthetic). Natural vitamin E will be labelled “d alpha tocopherol.” This is the pure D isomer, which is what your body can use.

There are also other vitamin E isomers, and you want the complete spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols, specifically the beta, gamma and delta types, in the effective D isomer. As an example of an ideal vitamin E, you can look at the label on our vitamin E in our store. You can use any brand that has a similar label.

You can purchase pharmaceutical grade bioidentical progesterone as Progesterone Powder, Bioidentical Micronised Powder, 10 grammes for about $40 on many online stores like Amazon. That is nearly a year’s supply, depending on the dose you choose.

However, you will need to purchase some small stainless steel measuring spoons as you will need a 1/64 tsp, which is 25 mg and a 1/32 tsp, which is 50 mg. A normal dose is typically 25-50 mg and is taken 30 minutes before bed, as it has an anti-cortisol function and will increase GABA levels for a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, this vendor frequently runs out of product, and if that’s the case, then you can use Simply Progesterone by Health Natura. It’s premixed with vitamin E and MCT oil. Again, while Health Natura states that its product is for “topical use only,” I recommend applying it transmucosally, by rubbing it on your gums.

If you are a menstruating woman, you should take the progesterone during the luteal phase or the last half of your cycle, which can be determined by starting 10 days after the first day of your period and stopping the progesterone when your period starts.

If you are a male or non-menstruating woman, you can take the progesterone every day for four to six months and then cycle off for one week. The best time of day to take progesterone is 30 minutes before bed as it has an anti-cortisol function and will increase GABA levels for a good night’s sleep.

This is what I have been personally doing for over a year with very good results. I am a physician so do not have any problems doing this. If you aren’t a physician, you should consult one before using this therapy, as transmucosal progesterone therapy requires a doctor’s prescription.

Sources and References

About the Author

Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder and owner of Mercola.com, a Board-Certified Family Medicine Osteopathic Physician, a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and a New York Times bestselling author. He publishes multiple articles a day covering a wide range of topics on his website Mercola.com.

Dr. Mercola’s new book ‘Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy’ is available to purchase HERE.

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