Shocking revelation: Chemicals found in shampoo, makeup can reduce the chances of getting pregnant…

New Delhi.A new study finds that exposure to ‘phthalates’, a group of plasticizing and solvent chemicals found in many household products such as shampoo, makeup, vinyl flooring, toys and medical devices, may reduce women’s chances of getting pregnant. Is.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, also found an association between phthalate exposure before conception and changes in women’s reproductive hormones, as well as increased inflammation and oxidative stress.

“Phthalates are ubiquitous endocrine disruptors and we are exposed to them every day,” said lead author Carrie Nobles, assistant professor of environmental health sciences in the U.S. School of Public Health and Health Sciences.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people are exposed to it primarily by consuming foods and liquids that have come in contact with products containing the chemicals.

The study included detailed information from 1,228 participants over six menstrual cycles while they were trying to get pregnant. Women who became pregnant were studied.

Phthalates are broken down by the body into metabolites, which are excreted in the urine and can be analyzed. The researchers detected 20 phthalate metabolites in urine samples collected from study participants.

Nobles said, “We found that there were three basic compounds that were most strongly associated with taking longer to get pregnant, although we saw a general trend towards it being more likely to take longer to get pregnant across the phthalates that we looked at. it takes time.

“As exposure increased, we saw greater effects,” he said.

The researchers also looked at C-reactive protein, a global marker of inflammation, and found that women who had higher levels of phthalates exposure also had higher levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to disease.

Additionally, women with higher phthalate levels had lower estradiol levels during the menstrual cycle, both of which are important in ovulation and the early development of pregnancy.

Women can check consumer product labels and look for phthalate-free alternatives, but the ubiquitous nature of the chemicals makes it difficult for an individual to control their exposure, the researchers said.