Its is a cruel irony that the use of beauty products can affect fertility. But not just beauty ducts, personal hygiene products such as shampoo, body wash and deodorants are perhaps the biggest culprits.
As todays male take perhaps more pride to appearance and daily regimes, this is not a female only issue, but it is caused by a largely female hormone disturbance.
Parabens and Phthalates
Parabens are chemical preservatives that have been identified as oestrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone function. Oestrogenic chemicals mimic the function of the naturally occurring hormone oestrogen
Phthalates have been found to cause a broad range of birth defects, reproductive and even lifelong reproductive problems in laboratory animals exposed to these chemicals during pregnancy and after birth. Phthalates are also known to be hormone-mimicking chemicals, many of which disrupt normal hormonal processes, oestrogen again.
How is reproduction affected?
Oestrogen is predominantly a female hormone, although present in smaller quantities in males.
Remember that the molecular structure of both chemicals mimics oestrogen and therefore the body reacts to the perceived higher levels of oestrogen.
Female reproduction
Oestrogen is a reproductive hormone that works closely with its partner progesterone. If oestrogen is in dominance to progesterone, whether the be from elevated oestrogen or low progesterone, oestrogen dominance occurs.
This increased oestrogen can prevent ovulation, reduce changes of implantation due to the effective lowered progesterone, prevent maintaining pregnancy.
Male Reproduction
The effects of a higher than usual oestrogen has been shown to affect testes development in user, and has the effect of testosterone, which is vital for sperm production.
1st, 2nd or 3rd Generation effects.
You fertility is not just affected by your exposure to these chemicals now, which is classed as first generation, but 2nd and 3rd too
2nd generation refers to the effects on the foetus from paragons and phthalates, so what your mother was exposed to when carrying you.
3rd generation refers to the developing eggs in. the female foetus. So, if you were born from an egg developing in your mother when she was a foetus, so what your grandmother was exposed to affected you.
How can you reduce exposure?
Its hard to check labels, as the number of chemicals that fit into this group is huge, so:
- Use products labelled as Paraben and Phthalate free for the whole family, we have moved on from charcoal and hemp! with many more products available today.
- Make your own products (its a lot easier than you think)
- Consider the packaging of the products you buy, as the plastics may also contain them
- Work to support the liver to remove excess oestrogen, through diet, supplements and castor oil packs.
