Social Toxins & Infertility

Social toxins are yet another thing to consider limiting and in some cases completely removing in your life when trying to conceive.

Here's what I'm talking about:

- smoking/vaping - cigarettes, cigars, hashish, and/or marijuana

- drinking alcohol

- drinking caffeine

- engaging in recreational drugs

Smoking:

Smoking of cigarettes has been linked to low birth weight babies, asthma in babies, and poor egg and sperm quality. Research on marijuana is newer and a bit spotty, but we are seeing impacts to egg quality and sperm quality. Both should be avoided altogether when trying to conceive and during pregnancy. PMID: 15066502, PMID: 30916627, and PMID: 16458631

Alcohol:

The impact of alcohol is strong. It can lead to miscarriage, low-birth babies, fetal alcohol syndrome when consumed during pregnancy. It is also linked to difficulties conceiving. It is highly recommended to avoid alcohol at least 3 months prior to any advanced reproductive technology treatments. There is no safe level of alcohol to consume during pregnancy.  PMID: 28702207

Caffeine:

Caffeine intake has been linked to miscarriage, impacts hormone balance, and can impact egg and sperm quality. However, the studies on this are stronger for miscarriage, and for male infertility. Reduction of caffeine intake is recommended to no more than 2 cups per day, abstain completely 4 weeks until your ART, and eliminating caffeine altogether is encouraged in patients who have a history of miscarriage. PMID: 28646871, PMID: 29276412, and PMID: 26026343

Recreational Drugs:

Marijuana was touched on above, but other social recreational drugs like cocaine should be completely avoided. PMID: 29713532, PMID: 2226928

I told you you wouldn't like this email. But making impactful change isn't always fun or easy. 

Do your best to get real about where these items may be lurking in your life.

Can you eliminate them in order to achieve your goals? Do you help to eliminate them? If so, do not hesitate to send me a note, or to reach out to your medical provider of choice.