IVF Study Shows Direct Effect of BPA on Human Eggs by Julia Indichova
If IVF is on your calendar this year, perhaps it would be worth your while to consider re-scheduling. I realize the subject of BPA and egg quality doesn’t make for the most cheer-inducing message, since it’s been in the news and certainly concerns many of us in the Fertile Heart baby making land, it surely warrants a blog post.
Not long ago, a study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility linked poor egg quality with levels of BPA (Bisphenol-A), a chemical commonly used to line the inside of beverage and food cans, as well as in the manufacture of plastics. Although the infertility industry seemed to treat this finding as “breakthrough” new research, the damaging effect of estrogen mimicking chemicals was hardly news. The study was useful mostly because common sense doesn’t seem to be enough to propel us toward action.
Fifteen years ago, I wrote in one of the last chapters of Inconceivable: “Not one of the mainstream fertility specialists suggested that…getting rid of toxins…might reverse the diagnosis.” Several years later, I attempted a clearer call for action in The Fertile Female: “What if the unborn have launched an education campaign of their own, and the number of couples with reproductive health challenges is part of their strategic plan? Perhaps somewhere in the overworld a council of babies-to-be convenes each day…Perhaps the members of this council have vetoed breast milk laced with heavy metal as an acceptable food item. Chances are they’ve been briefed about endocrine disruptors such as dioxin…”
Sadly, not much has changed. So now we have proof of the worrisome fact which the world of holistic health has been warning us about for decades: Endocrine disruptive chemicals are in our soil, our food supply, the air we breathe and the water we drink. And how could they not affect our health and the quality of the embryos we generate? What then do we do?
Do we simply follow the recommendation of the researchers in the UC study to avoid the use of household products and foods that contain BPA? Or do we follow the suggestion of the spokesman of the chemical industry’s trade association who cites laboratory studies showing that low levels of BPA do not effect our reproductive health. Since the UC study was quite small, we are advised to wait for the results of more comprehensive studies.
I say just in case the next study might be a bit of a wait, we’re better of to spring into action as soon as possible. Certainly for wannabe moms and for the rest of us, the first order of business might be to get those BPA’s out of our blood.
And if you are planning an IVF treatment, it might be wise to re-schedule it after your detox is complete. Who knows, combine your blood cleansing with a little Fertile Heart mind-body-heart detox and you might end up using the $20,000 intended for your IVF treatment, as a down payment for a plot of land, and start growing your very own toxin free vegies.
To support you in your pre-conception cleansing project here is a link to three articles with suggestions on what I have found helpful personally and with clients over the years.
Preconception Detox: Spring Cleaning Our Bodies in Preparation for Pregnancy
Ten Steps toward Pre=Conception Detox Pre-Conception Cleansing and Zeolite
I know many of you have experimented with different cleansing regimes. So why don’t we celebrate the official arrival of Summer next week with sharing your experiences with the many cleansing protocols you have found useful!
Hi – I have been continued to feel such a need to detox and am feeling lighter. Have begun juicing in the morning – a green juice – and have greatly added vegetables to my day. I feel this path food is the most right for me I have ever felt. I am being much more open as well which means alot of the shame I have carried is detoxing as well. It feels what I am doing with food is a physical way I can support the emotional detox continuing. I have been becoming more and more aware of the amount I have walked around in fear and have experienced life as a physically and emotionally violent obstacle course I was just trying to stay one step ahead of constantly. I am aware of the tremendous amount of energy it takes to this. I am having images of letting this go and feeling such a physical need to do it – I keep hearing the sound of structures crumbling.
Cheers to green juice,
Galina
Thank you for posting. I know I consume many toxic chemicals every single day. Either by choice and indifference in drinking bottled beverages or canned foods, and also not by choice just by being in NYC and environmental hazards everyday. I think a detox is a very important step. I have done a few mini ones here and there, but I am really interested in doing more to ensure we are the healthiest we can be. This zeolite looks like something that might benefit myself perhaps. I keep being told what horrible eggs I have and I will never get pg by natural means, but I have to give it a shot and give myself every opportunity to just Try!! I am a relatively healthy eater with lots of fruits and veggies, but there are everyday things I am very guilty of. Lotions and potions and everything else that is most likely very toxic. Thanks for the info and article Julia!!
Thanks for the information, Julia.
Good timing! I have been making diet changes and gearing up for the dexot. I started making gradual diet changes over the last 6 months and feel great. However, I have been loosing weight and can’t afford to loose any more. I’m hesitant in starting the detox for fear that I will loose more weight. Going to order the supplements, and introduce them slowly.
Thank for the article.
Natalie
I am a longtime sufferer of recurrent UTIs. For at least a decade I would get a UTI every time I had sex. Every time! My Ob-Gyn gave me low dose antibiotics to take after intercourse. I did this for years, but recently got fed up. I knew the long term impact of dousing my system with antibiotics wasn’t good. I gave up coffee first, then caffeine. I joined the FH community and started making green juices in the mornings. I gave up sweets and have started eating more soup. The result, no more UTIs. Not one for 6 months and counting. More intense cleansing is next. I’m hoping it calms down my immune system.
Thank you FH community for your wisdom.
This is such a timely blog topic for me. The last year or so has been a major emotional detox for me. It has cleared so much out I am now much more fully in my body and exploring physical detox and general decluttering. I just received my first shipment of the USANA supplements yesterday and am interested to see how that feels. Also reading a couple raw food books and preparing to make some changes. In looking back it feels I have always been headed to where I am right now just had to go find my own particular path to get here. I have always since I was a little girl felt food had power just haven’t known how to harness it. Recently I realized the power has always been here maybe I just wasn’t feeling strong enough to believe my own conclusions so even if I was doing the work every day felt it wouldn’t really work for me.
Take good care,
Galina
I’ve done a few detoxes in the past, and though I found that I felt better afterwards, the detoxes themselves were a bit harsh. I’d like to try another (Julia’s blog has gotten me thinking), but would like to try something a bit more gentle.
Like LSG, I believe an all-around healthy diet would be the best approach, but I tend to get sucked in by sugar, chocolate and coffee, so sometimes setting a goal such as a detox that I can focus on in a short timeframe (3-4 weeks or so) tends to help me avoid nasty foods. I think I’ll start with Julia’s 10 steps.
Slang: can I ask for more details about your approach to cleansing?
Thank you Julia for giving us this challenge. My husband and I have been talking about a detox cleanse for a couple of months… we just needed to be motivated. I think we will start slowly with a weekly juice cleanse first and then extend it by a few days. I don’t know much about BPA so I’m also reading up on Zeolite. Changing my diet has been a wonderful part of joining the FH family. It has made me want to get healthier and healthier (and also has encouraged my husband to do the same). This is another step in that direction. Great blog topic! Good luck to all on this journey, Kriste.
Thank you Julia for keeping us informed. Thank you Mary-D, LSG and Slang for suggestions,
We don’t spray our yard for weeds – the price is extra weeding. But I feel good when the bees visit our yard their systems won’t be taxed more. I try to grow organic vegetables in organic soil and use minimal toxic cleaners. A lot of companies develop and sell products because they work – period – without checking some of the ramifications.
Thank you so much again.
This is blog is perfect timing for me, as am gearing up for another detox. Lots of homemade organic vege juice, (but not sweet am dealing with candida), then lots of probiotics. Did this a few weeks ago and I had a huge “die-off” reaction, it’s very powerful stuff, and felt really really satisfying.
I believe we have to be responsible for what goes into our body because nobody is taking that responsibility for us. The food industry has a long way to go, so this means we have to be in charge. My whole relationship to food and my body has grown so much the last few years.
Suzanne that’s so great detox was so effective for you as it was for Julia.
Thanks for the motivation ladies!
Maryann
For me, a general healthy diet seems to be the best detoxification. True cleanses seem to be too harsh for my system. If I feel like I need to do a little something extra, I add even more veggies to my diet.
There is another source of BPA that has received some press, but not as much as plastics: receipts. In case some haven’t seen any info about it, here’s an article from EWG:
http://www.ewg.org/bpa-in-store-receipts
Thanks for the great info as usual Julia!
Hi Julia et al-
I am also a big believer in detoxing and did much of it over the last several years. Everyone downplays BPA and pesticides and all the crap that we are surrounded by. As I walk down the street 2 months pregnant, and another man blows smoke right in my path, I want to stop and alert him to how his toxic habit affects me. But, it’s not about him. Toxins are everywhere and for years of my life, I have been ingesting them with no cleansing happening. So, I decided it was up to me and it’s a constant work in progress. I am soap-boxing but Julia, I could not agree with you more. I was working with several cleansing things (juice, chorella, licorice, etc) prior to getting pregnant to deal with things found in my bloodwork and to cleanse out the vaccination i had to have two months prior to my pregnancy (along with anethesia for a procedure). It’s not as hard as it sounds ladies and the more you do it, the easier it gets! Much love in detox! Suzanne