Infertility and Air Pollution are, to a great extent, linked to each other. Here, we will see how?
Amid the rising level of air pollution in Delhi and its nearby areas, experts have suggested people stay away from toxic air surroundings. Air pollution can have both short and long-term effects on our health. The contaminants found in the air, like carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen, particle pollution, and oxides, can cause several physical disorders in your body. Apart from this, women’s health is affected severely, causing infertility and reproductive problems. From disrupting the menstrual cycle and causing hormone imbalance, pollution can have a range of adverse effects on the reproductive processes of ladies.
Although the effects of lifestyle and genetic variables can affect women’s reproductive health, it is also seen that environmental factors like pollution can also affect the reproductive health of a woman to a great extent. A recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Infertility states that one in six people worldwide will experience difficulties becoming pregnant at some point in their lives. The harmful substances in the air are hampering women’s menstrual cycle, which would be detrimental to their reproductive processes.
Infertility of Women – Impact of Air Pollutants
The pollutants that are present in the atmosphere contain certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which can affect the production, control, and release of hormones in women. This can often lead to ovulatory dysfunction, irregular menstrual cycle, and lower fertility. These harmful chemicals also make women difficult to conceive as it negatively affect the quality of the eggs. Certain issues have been underlined which are caused due to air pollution.
Infertility problem
Air pollution can lead to lower fertility issues in women because of the harmful substances present in the air. Studies have also shown that those women who are more exposed to harmful air pollutants face difficulty in conceiving.
Pregnancy complications
Pollution can increase the complications in your pregnancy, thus making the conceiving process difficult. Pollutants like lead and mercury can affect the developing fetus, leading to long-term health problems.
Infant mortality
The rising level of air pollution can also affect infants, thus leading to premature death. Pollutants can cause respiratory issues in infants, which can increase the risk of infant death syndrome (IDS).
Hormonal Imbalance
Many air pollutants contain harmful endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can affect the hormonal balance of a woman. This imbalance of the hormones can lead to irregular menstrual cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and other reproductive disorders.
Risk of cancer
Harmful particles present in the atmosphere can also increase the risk of reproductive cancers like breast and ovarian cancer. So, women should avoid direct exposure to pollution in order to stay healthy and cancer-free.
Menstrual health
Environmental pollution can increase the risk of certain menstrual health problems because of exposure to unclean drinking water and water that they use during periods, thus leading to certain infections and complications.
Impact on mental health
The adverse effects of pollution on women’s reproductive health can also disrupt their mental balance, thus leading to anxiety, stress, depression, and fatigue.
Socio-economic factors
Those women who belong to lower-income communities are more exposed to air pollution due to their living conditions and lack of access to healthcare. This indirectly affects their reproductive health to a deep extent.
Air pollution and Infertility are, therefore, interlinked to each other, which can affect women’s reproductive health tremendously.
