Kirstie Phillips and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for months without success.
Mrs. Phillips, from Connecticut, had always assumed they would get pregnant quickly: They were both healthy, active, in their twenties, and had no family history of infertility.
But when her doctor informed her that her ovaries were not functioning properly, she fell into a maze of research that led her to the conclusion that environmental toxins found everywhere in her home could be to blame.
she told him Wall Street Journal: ‘I have no proof but I can’t think of anything else.’
Mrs Phillips, now 30, threw away her scented candles and home fragrance accessories because of their links to hormonal imbalances.
And it ditched its body washes and moisturizers that contained toxic “forever chemicals” that have been associated with infertility.
The family also stopped using single-use plastics and non-stick pans.
In what she and her husband consider nothing short of a miracle, Kirstie Phillips became pregnant two years later through IVF.
Less than a year later, she became pregnant again naturally.
Kirstie Phillips (pictured with her husband) struggled with infertility and believed environmental toxins like BPA and phthalates were to blame.
Fertility rates in the United States have plummeted to an all-time low.
The most recent data from the CDC showed that in 2023, the total fertility rate fell to 1.62 births per woman.
However, for a population to maintain the same size, it must reach a “replacement” level fertility rate of 2, a figure the United States has not recorded since 2007, before the 2008 financial crisis.
The number of women who wait to try to get pregnant until age 30, when the chances of conceiving plummet, is just one determining factor.
Scientists increasingly believe that exposure to environmental toxins plays an important role.
For years they have suggested that so-called permanent chemicals hiding in everything from pots and pans to raincoats can wreak havoc on the body’s reproductive hormones, and one study found that women with higher levels of these chemicals in their blood had 40 percent less chance. of getting pregnant.
Bisphenol-A and phthalates have also been linked to reduced egg production in women and poor semen quality in men.
Both of these common chemicals can be found in plastic packaging, including baby bottles, receipts, fragrances, soaps, and lotions.
Mrs Phillips, a nurse anesthetist, was shocked to learn she was pregnant with her daughter Sage when her son Levi was just 10 months old.
She believes that reducing chemical exposure helped her body self-regulate.
He dumped anything in his Connecticut home that contained chemicals known to disrupt the body’s delicate hormonal balance.
Stopping using body wash and other plastic containers reduced their exposure to permanent chemicals, or PFAS.
PFAS are sealants for kitchen utensils, rugs and carpets, waterproof clothing, food packaging, stain-removing sprays, and household paint.
These chemicals, which take years to break down naturally, have also infiltrated Americans’ water supplies, and a government study released earlier this year shows that between 71 and 95 million people live in areas where their water supply It is contaminated with those chemicals.
Kirstie also looked to eliminate bisphenol-A (BPA), which is often used as a protective coating on the inside of drinks cans.
It can also be found in baby bottles, water bottles, pacifiers, and baby toys.
BPA, like PFAS, disrupts the body’s hormonal system, interferes with the development of eggs in the ovaries, making them less likely to mature properly, reduces estrogen production, and increases the chance of early egg loss. pregnancy by altering the hormonal balance necessary to maintain a healthy uterus.
Phthalates are another chemical that interferes with reproduction. They are found in the types of home fragrances that Mrs. Phillips threw out.
Phthalates, commonly used to make plastics more durable, have been found to trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to damage to DNA and proteins in the blood and ultimately affecting the quality of eggs developed. in the womb.
They also have the potential to cause ovarian failure, leading to infertility.
According to 2015 research published in the journal Frontiers in endocrinologyStopping exposure to harmful chemicals can help reverse damage to the ovaries, depending on how long the exposure lasted and which follicles were affected.
However, completely eliminating phthalates is an unattainable goal.
The researchers behind that study said: “Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental toxicants that humans are exposed to daily.
“Although eliminating exposure to toxic substances may be beneficial in restoring ovarian function, exposure to many EDCs, including phthalates, cannot be completely eliminated.”
Scientists around the world have long warned of steadily declining fertility rates. By 2100, around 93 percent of countries globally are projected to see a drop in fertility rates below levels needed to prevent population levels from declining.
Among the causes that international scientists have indicated They were chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system.
Dr. Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, saying: ‘This is really an important issue because it affects people’s ability to choose pregnancy if they wish.
“We know that the number and quantity of them are increasing and we know that some of them can directly affect male and female reproductive health.”
A study published last year by doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York reported that higher exposure to PFAS chemicals was linked to a lower likelihood of clinical pregnancy and live births in a group of women in Singapore.
After eliminating toxins from her life, Phillips conceived through IVF and then became pregnant naturally.
Specifically, the study revealed that women exposed to a combination of seven PFAS were 30 to 40 percent less likely to achieve a clinical pregnancy within one year and give birth to a live newborn.
Dr. Nathan Cohen, PhD, a public health researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said, “Our study strongly implies that women planning a pregnancy should be aware of the harmful effects of PFAS and take precautions to avoid Avoid exposure to these types of chemicals, especially when trying to conceive.