Double Your Chances Of Conceiving In 28 Days...
With The Fertility Cleansing Kit!
Scientific Research
Extensive literature reporting adverse effects of environmental contaminants on... reproductive function and epidemiologic studies with humans, suggests that many environmental chemicals and heavy metals may contribute to infertility. L.C. Giudice, 2006 |
Approximately 10 to 15% of the population experiences infertility. Although 85 to 90% of couples or individuals who experience infertility have a diagnosis for their infertility, underlying causes of infertility rarely are found.
Scientific research has linked lifestyle changes with increased fertility, and increased chances of conception. Researchers at the University of Adelaide found that lifestyle factors such as age, weight, smoking, diet, exercise, psychological stress, caffeine consumption, alcohol consumption and exposure to environmental pollutants could affect fertility.
Detoxification and body cleansing can support a healthy lifestyle, and the purpose of the Fertility Cleansing Kit is to provide your body with organic herbs that strengthen your organs of detoxification. According to naturopathic tradition, body cleansing helps the organs to work more efficiently in cleansing your body of environmental toxins that can cause a range of reproductive disorders, including infertility, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis and low sperm counts and motility.
What Are Environmental Toxins?
Environmental toxins are generally by-products of the commercial and chemical industry, and they come from many different sources and enter the air, water and land in a variety of ways.
Many scientific studies have demonstrated an association between environmental pollutatnts and certain diseases or other health problems. In particular, there is an increasing body evidence linking these pollutants to negative changes in the human endocrine system.
One of the consequence of exposures to these endocrine disrupting chemicals is that they can significantly increase the incidence of infertility.
Organochlorines
Organochlorines are compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, and hydrogen. Their chlorine-carbon bonds are very strong which means that they do not break down easily. They are highly insoluble in water, but are attracted to fats.
Since they resist metabolism and are readily stored in fatty tissue of any animal ingesting them, they accumulate in animals in higher up in the food chain. This can affect humans if they drink milk of a dairy cow that has ingested the chemical because the chemical is excreted in its milk fat. This is called biological magnification.
Types of organochlorines include PCBs, Dioxin and DDT
Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB)
PCBs belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were domestically manufactured from 1929 until their manufacture was banned in 1979.
They have a range of toxicity, and do not readily break down and therefore may remain for long periods of time cycling between air, water, and soil. PCBs can accumulate in the leaves and above-ground parts of plants and food crops. They are also taken up into the bodies of small organisms and fish. As a result, people who ingest fish may be exposed to PCBs that have bioaccumulated in the fish they are ingesting.
PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications including electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment; as plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products; in pigments, dyes, and carbonless copy paper; and many other industrial applications.
PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.
Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD)
The term Dioxin is commonly used to refer to a family of toxic chemicals that all share a similar chemical structure and a common mechanism of toxic action.
Dioxins can be commonly detected in air, soil, sediments and food. Dioxins are transported primarily through the air and are deposited on the surfaces of soil, buildings and pavement, water bodies, and the leaves of plants.
Most of us receive almost all of our dioxin exposure from the food we eat: specifically from the animal fats associated with eating beef, pork, poultry, fish, milk, dairy products. Most of us get these foods through the commercial food supply. Since most of the meats and dairy products we consume are not produced locally but have been transported hundreds or thousands of miles, the majority of our dioxin exposure does not come from dioxin sources within our own community.
Because dioxins are widely distributed throughout the environment in low concentrations, are persistent and bioaccumulated, most people have detectable levels of dioxins in their tissues. These levels, in the low parts per trillion, have accumulated over a lifetime and will persist for years, even if no additional exposure were to occur. This background exposure is likely to result in an increased risk of cancer and is uncomfortably close to levels that can cause subtle adverse non-cancer effects in animals and humans.
Bisphenol-A
Bisphenol-A is used to make epoxy based food contact surface coatings for cans and metal jar lids. It is also used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic which then is formed into containers for repeat use such as water carboys, and baby bottles.
It is reported to have estrogenic activity, and have been shown to leach into food held on containers made with Bisphenol-A.
Pesticides
Products used most often are insecticides and disinfectants. Another study suggests that 80 percent of most people's exposure to pesticides occurs indoors and that measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have been found in the air inside homes.
The amount of pesticides found in homes appears to be greater than can be explained by recent pesticide use in those households; other possible sources include contaminated soil or dust that floats or is tracked in from outside, stored pesticide containers, and household surfaces that collect and then release the pesticides.
Pesticides used in and around the home include products to control insects (insecticides), termites (termiticides), rodents (rodenticides), fungi (fungicides), and microbes (disinfectants). They are sold as sprays, liquids, sticks, powders, crystals, balls, and foggers.
Toxic Heavy Metals
Toxic metals, including "heavy metals," are individual metals and metal compounds that negatively affect people's health. In very small amounts, many of these metals are necessary to support life. However, in larger amounts, they become toxic.
Toxic metals can build up in biological systems and become a significant health risk.
The information below highlights the scientific research that links environmental pollutants to the reproductive disorders mentioned.
Organochlorine Compounds have been scientifically proven to affect fertility and the menstrual cycle. The Environmental Health Investigations Branch in California carried out a study on these synthetic substances, and found that they were "endocrine disruptors" - chemicals that disrupted the healthy functioning of the endocrine system.
The endocrine system is responsible for a range of bodily functions including sexual development, reproduction and the metabolism, and a healthy endocrine system is vital for fertility. The Environmental Health Investigations Branch research found that "women exposed to endocrine disruptors at various life stages may have increased risk of disorders and conditions related to hormonal problems such as menstrual cycle irregularities, infertility, endometriosis, autoimmune disorders and cancers of the reproductive system."
OB-GYNs at Yale University's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility recently published information that suggested that environmental xenoestrogens disrupted the development of the female reproductive system, which could lead to defects in both the functioning and structure of the reproductive system.
At the University of Bern, Switzerland, researchers found that dioxin [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) could affect the functioning of Glycodelin (GdA) - a gene required for healthy implantation and pregnancy.
Another group of researchers from Yale also found that one particular type of xenoestrogen, Bisphenol A (BPA) affected a gene that was needed for the healthy development of the uterus.
Animal studies carried out at the University of Florence revealed that even low doses of estrogen-like substances could affect the development of the female reproductive system. They concluded that their results implied "risks of reproductive failure from xenoestrogen exposure in realistic ecological conditions"
Xenoestrogens are difficult for the human body to process, so they stay in the human tissues. Medical investigators from the University of Granada in Spain took tissue samples from patients, and found that not only did these chemicals remain in human tissues, but they were passed through the placenta to unborn children, increasing the risk of developing malformed genitals in male babies.
Endocrinologists at Humboldt University Medical School also found that these xenoestrogens could lead to defects in female reproductive organs. Animal studies they carried out confirmed that these chemicals led to persistent estrus, infertility and subfertility, as well as a low sexual behavior.
Female Fertility & Heavy Metals:
A study carried out at Heidelberg University, Germany concluded that "Heavy metals and chloro-organic compounds can influence female fertility at every phase of reproduction. They may induce hormonal disorders, preventing ovulations and pregnancies. They can also result in abortions and fetal malformations." They found that women who had thyroid dysfunction, uterine fibroids, and miscarriages were more likely to have high levels of heavy metals such as Cadmium.
They also concluded:
"Results of this investigation indicate that women with hormonal irregularities or specific fertility disorders should be examined for heavy metal and pesticide contamination prior to hormone treatment."
Lead is another heavy metal that can affect the fertility. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that exposure to lead could damage female fertility, due to its ability to influence hormone.
PCOSResearchers at the Humboldt University Medical School in Germany linked environmental estrogens with the development of polycystic ovaries. Medical researchers at the University of Tokyo found high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), compared to women who did not have the condition. Another research study at the same university linked high levels of this chemical with high testosterone and androstenedione levels in women.
Researchers at the University of Michigan linked early exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals to polycystic ovaries, early menopause and infertility in animal studies.
Scientists have even linked xenoestrogens in food to weight gain. At the Université de Bourgogne, researchers found that xenoestrogens affected the body on a DNA level, and disrupted the production of leptin, a hormone vital for weight management. Several studies have linked the risk of developing PCOS with being overweight.
Endometriosis is gynecological disorder often associated with infertility, which occurs when endometrial cells grow outside of the uterus. A 2008 report published by McMaster University in Canada stated that endometriosis affected approximately 50% of infertile women. A number of scientific studies have proven the link between environmental estrogens and the proliferation of endometriosis.
Reproductive Immunologists at the Fudan University Shanghai Medical College in China linked the combination of specific type of chemical toxin, called dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD with estrogen to the development of endometriosis. This was also confirmed by laboratory population-based studies carried out at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville. National Institute for Environmental Studies also conclued that "Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds have been shown to induce endometriosis and promote estrogen-dependent tumors."
This was also confirmed by a study carried out at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, where Toxicologists found an association between high levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds with endometriosis. Researchers at the University La Sapienza also found higher levels of PCBs were in women with endometriosis.
Studies carried out at the Université Catholique de Louvain showed suggested a link between lead and the onset of endometriosis.
Uterine fibroids or leiomyomata are benign tumors consisting of smooth muscle tissue, that have been scientifically proven to be estrogen dependent, and responsive to xenoestrogen, or endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
A longitudinal study carried out by the University of California, found that 26.3% women exposed to high levels of 2,3,7,8,-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in a specific region in Italy developed fibroids.
Cadmium, a toxic metal was linked to the development of uterine fibroids and recurrent miscarriages by researchers at Heidelberg University. They also linked another chemical, hexachlorocyclohexane - HCH to uterine fibroids, and concluded that "women with hormonal irregularities or specific fertility disorders should be examined for heavy metal and pesticide contamination prior to hormone treatment." Researchers from Poland also found high levels of cadmium in the blood of women with uterine fiboroids.
A number of studies have been carried out which link the development of uterine fibroids to hormones. Animal studies carried out at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center concluded that exposure to xenoestrogens could increase the risk of developing reproductive diseases such as fibroids. This is because chemical compounds from xenoestrogens can mimic the effect of estrogens on fibroid cells.
Other animal studies carried out at the Uppsala University, Sweden found that seals exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) experienced a greater incidence of fibroid tumors and decreased fertility and reproduction.
Researchers at the National University Hospital have noted that Male reproductive health, including sperm counts, and semen quality, have declined since World War II in many industrialized countries. Pediatritians from the University of Turku in Fnland also noted that sperm concentrations, motility and morphology had also worsened in the last decades, and suggested that enddocrine-disrupting environmental chemicals were the cause. Xenoestrogens have been linked the world-wide decrease in sperm counts, as well as male reproductive problems.
Industrial pollution has also been cited as a potential cause of declining sperm quality. A longitudinal study carried out by the Medical University of Silesia in one of the most polluted regions in Poland found that the insemination efficiency of donor sperm had declined over a period of 22 years.
Pesticides are also linked to lower semen quality by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. Their study carried out in 2003 found that men exposed to agricultural chemicals such as pesticides were 16.7 times more likely to have poor semen quality.
Researchers in a Biochemical laboratory in Lyons, France found that some xenoestrogen chemicals prevented the body from making use of testosterone, which had the effect of disrupting the healthy balance of male and female hormones in both men and women.
Animal studies carried out at the Center for Biomedical Research found that bisphenol A (BPA) suppressed LH and testosterone levels, which inhibited the Leydig cell aromatase activity. The researchers noted that humans were significantly exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used for food packaging.
Heavy metals such as lead can also affect the production of sperm and hormones. Researchers in Poland found that exposure to environmental toxins such as lead, could cause decrease in the size and weight of the male sexual organs, including the testicles, seminal vesicle and seminiferous tubes.
Investigations carried out at the Harvard School of Public Health found a relationship between PCBs and reduced semen quality and sperm motility. PCBs have also been linked to abnormal sperm morphology and poor sperm motility in research carried out at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The study found that people exposed to PCB contaminated oil gave birth to fewer male children, as the chemicals affected sperm bearing the Y-chromosone. The male children born to these women also had reduced fertility.
In addition to this, environmental toxins such as xenoestrogens can be passed to the baby through breast milk. A report published by the University of Pisa, Department of Pediactrics states:
"Contamination of human milk is widespread and due to decades of inadequately controlled pollution by toxicants, persistent pesticides or chemical solvents. These chemicals tend to degrade slowly in the environment, to bioaccumulate in the food chain and to have long half-lives in humans. Many of these environmental pollutants have estrogen-like activities and, thus they are called environmental estrogen disruptors or xenoestrogens."
Researchers from University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet in Denmark have suggested that lifestyle factors and endocrine disruptors are a risk to the future fertility of male fetuses. They found research on both animals and human beings that linked these chemicals to a testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS), a defect in the development of the gonads, that can lead to decreased semen quality.
Environmental pollutants can increase the risk of birth defects, miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight and even still birth. REsearchers from Yale University School of Medicine identified the following factors as being significant: smoking, video display terminals, anesthetic gases, antineoplastic drugs, and exposure to lead, selenium, and inorganic mercury.
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