Reproductive Toxicology

By: Amy Erickson-Hagen, MS Reproductive Physiology

Likely there are things you remember from various stages in your education like being the line leader, square dancing in gym, or senior skip day. However, the lab next to my lab in graduate school studied environmental effects on frogs. Phthalates were the main compounds found in the environment causing effects such as additional limbs, deformed genitalia and much more. One specific Phthalate is Bisphenol A (BPA) which has been getting press about its presence in water bottles and possible effects on miscarriage and sexual function. Phthalates are xenoestrogens which are industrially made compounds that have estrogenic effects and differ chemically from estrogens which are naturally occurring, produced by living organisms. It is believed that Phthalates can last in the environment for over 70 years.

Phthalates are used mainly in plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability and longevity. They are being phased out of many products in the United States and European Union (EU) over various health concerns. However, last time you looked on a product was it made in the US or EU? Probably not! Therefore it is still a concern to people living in the United States.

Phthalates are used in a large variety of products, from coatings of pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements to adhesives and glues, building materials, personal care products, medical devices, detergents, packaging, children's toys, waxes, paints, printing inks, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles. Phthalates are used in a variety of household applications such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. Personal care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray. They are also found in modern electronics and medical applications such as catheters and blood transfusion devices. Just about everywhere you turn.

After graduate school I...

1. Stopped wearing nail polish with Phthalates -spent the extra $2 to get Phthalate free.
2. Never microwave plastics or freeze anything in plastics. Phthalates leach more from plastics when exposed to increased temperatures.
3. Rarely eat anything canned - just buy frozen veggies. The linings of cans commonly contain Phthalates. FYI, You can find frozen mandarin oranges if you really look (that was my canned good weakness).

An Often Overlooked Infertility Cause

STD's can cause fertility problems, which frequently go under or miss-diagnosed. Chlamydia is the most common STD in America, affecting more than a million people each year. Unreported cases could easily double this figure. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which in turn can cause a variety of fertility problems. Women who are considering getting pregnant are encouraged to get tested to rule out any problems. Chlamydia can be detected with a urine test.

Infections can be persistent for years, with minor side effects that can mask its presence. Women are more likely to have an infection than men, but both should get tested. The article points out that Chlamydia can be treated effectively with a quick round of antibiotics, so there's no reason not to take action so you can rule this potential fertility problem out!