The importance of looking after yourself especially while trying to get pregnant is of course paramount, but did you know that even the skincare products you use can affect your fertility?
With our bathroom cabinets filled with shampoos, specialty soaps, skincare creams, cosmetics and other hair products, it is not commonly highlighted that these can hinder conception.
According to research published in several medical journals, and conducted at such prestigious institutions as Harvard and UCLA, many of the ingredients found in common everyday skin and personal hygiene products contain high levels of perfluorinated chemicals, better known as PFC’s. Anyone who has heard the term PFC know that these toxins can be dangerous to our health and well being, even causing cancer.
Coming in contact with these PFC’s can – and does – cause a variety of infertility issues, claim the experts.
One study conducted by UCLA researcher Chunyuan Fei, and published online in Human Reproduction, states that women with higher-than-normal levels of PFC’s have exhibited a 60-154% higher risk of infertility than those who do not.
The inclusion of these chemicals in skincare products is designed so that the creams and lotions are absorbed into the skin quickly, sending sometimes dangerous toxins straight to our cells and bloodstream where they can travel throughout the body’s systems, creating havoc wherever they go, even affecting fertility.
Men, too need to watch out for the skin creams, deodorants and sprays they use, which may contain the same high levels of PFC’s as women’s products.
Like their female partners, PFC’s can affect their fertility by decreasing the volume, overall health and mobility of sperm.
So what are the options
For women, the best advice is to use products that contain natural ingredients. Read those labels! If an ingredient is unpronounceable, the odds are its more likely to be a chemical.
Truly natural products are made with ingredients that are derived from nature – not a laboratory. Many may need to be refrigerated or come in darkened bottles and have a shorter shelf life than their toxin-laden counterparts.
We have included some products on our site which are totally natural and other wonderful all-natural companies that make safe, toxin-free skin care products include Dr. Hauschka, Aubrey skin care and my personal favorite Mychelle.
