Hormone-disrupting chemicals harm fertility in both men and women, doctor says

Infertility has become a serious public health problem today, yet it does not get the attention it deserves. Worldwide, 1 in 6 people go through infertility at some point in their lives. At the same time, tests show that nearly 100 percent of people around the world carry endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, in their bodies, chemicals that interfere with the body's hormones. These two facts occurring together is not a coincidence. Scientific evidence now clearly shows that EDCs are not a minor factor behind infertility. Dr Hitesha Ramnani Rohira, IVF consultant at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, explained this in detail.

According to Dr Rohira, these chemicals have a strong ability to directly interfere with the body's hormonal system. The most worrying part is that there is no need to look far for these chemicals, because they are already present all around us. They are found in food containers and plastic bottles, everyday use items, cosmetics, and pesticides and chemicals used in farming. This means an ordinary person cannot fully protect themselves from exposure to these chemicals even if they want to.

Dr Rohira says that understanding the real causes of infertility requires thinking beyond medical or clinical tests alone. Raising large scale public awareness about the harmful substances present in our environment, such as EDCs, hormone disrupting chemicals, and their serious impact on human fertility, is a pressing need of the times.

Endocrine disruptors, also called endocrine active substances or endocrine disrupting compounds, are chemicals that directly interfere with the natural functioning of the body's hormones, their metabolic processes and the process by which hormones are produced in the body. When this interference occurs, the entire hormonal balance the body's functioning depends on is thrown off completely. What is surprising is that the harmful effects are not limited to that one person, there is now growing concern worldwide about what impact this could have on future generations as well.

Many chemicals fall into this category. Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are commonly found in food packaging and can easily migrate into food during processing. Pesticides, especially organophosphate and organochloride compounds, are a major cause of severe damage to human fertility. In addition, dioxins and other dioxin-like compounds are mostly produced in the air through uncontrolled burning of waste, accidental fires and waste incineration, and enter the human body mainly through contaminated food and a polluted environment.

According to Dr Rohira, we can be exposed to these chemicals in many ways. Plastics, pesticides, industrial chemicals, flame retardants, personal care products, contaminated food and water, air, household dust, direct skin contact and even exposure while still in the womb are all causes of this. These chemicals have become such an integral part of our daily lives that it has genuinely become very difficult to stay completely away from them.

Dr Rohira said this adverse effect on fertility occurs in both men and women. In women, hormonal disruption can interfere with the maturing of eggs, cause ovulation failure, and lead to serious problems such as uterine disorders, endometriosis, premature ovarian failure and abnormalities in the embryo. It also reduces the effectiveness of IVF treatment. Research has also shown that exposure to EDCs lowers anti-Mullerian hormone levels, worsens egg quality, increases the risk of miscarriage, and greatly reduces the chances of a healthy baby being born through infertility treatment.

The situation is just as concerning for men. According to Dr Rohira, exposure to EDCs worsens sperm quality, reduces sperm count and reduces sperm motility. Over the past five decades, sperm counts among men worldwide have fallen by more than half, and the pace of this decline is increasing every day. These figures genuinely cannot be ignored. This is why reducing the body's exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and raising public awareness about their harmful effects can play a very important role in protecting human fertility.