Why you should consider detoxing before pregnancy

30 Aug

Our environment plays a big role in our reproductive wellness. And increasingly research is showing a clear interface between our environment and our fertility, in the form of endocrine-disrupting substances.

Endocrine disruptors are substances that interfere with the normal function of our hormones.

They might mimic our hormones, or block the way we make our hormones, or transport them, or bind or eliminate them. This is a problem when you start to think that we have dozens of hormones that affect each of our body systems.

Our hormones are like an intricate web, where disrupting just one strand will have consequences for the function and stability of the entire web. In our bodies, when one hormone falls out of balance, others like to follow.

We live in a beautiful world! But it is a little bit toxic. And those toxins love to be stored, or cause hormonal problems, or lead to weight gain…which leads to further hormonal problems!

Having an awareness of endocrine disruptors prior to your pregnancy is so important, because not only is your health affected by these substances, but babies and children are particularly vulnerable to their effects.

Pregnancy is considered a ‘critical time of exposure’ to these substances, where foetal development can be affected, contributing to birth defects, learning disorders and hormonal problems that may not be evident until later in your child’s life. It must be remembered that these chemicals can and do pass through the placenta, and through breastmilk. (Critical times of exposure to endocrine disruption include preconception, pregnancy, infancy and adolescence)

So, where do we come across endocrine disruptors?

Well, everywhere.

Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors for a good overview. Briefly, some common endocrine disrupting chemicals are:

BPA (Bisphenol A)

This is a chemical with oestrogen-like activity, and you find it in plastics, the lining of tinned foods and canned drinks, and thermal paper receipts.

Fertility risks:

✴︎ There’s a strong relationship between BPA exposure and PCOS, and an increased risk of endometriosis, fibroids and miscarriage.

✴︎ In IVF settings it’s associated with a lower antral follicle count and poorer IVF outcomes.

✴︎ It disrupts thyroid hormone function and is associated with thyroid antibody presence.

✴︎ Maternal exposure in pregnancy affects newborn thyroid hormone function and continues to have an effect through breastfeeding as well.

✴︎ In men BPA is associated with reduced sperm count and motility, and this is amplified where obesity is also a factor.

Dioxins

Are by-products of industrial processes and accumulate in the food chain and fatty tissues. Most of our exposures are in animal produce.

Fertility risks:

☾ In women, exposure during pregnancy affects foetal growth.

☾ In men they are linked with poorer sperm morphology.

Phthalates

Are chemicals with oestrogen-like activity found in plastic food containers, vinyls, solvents, skin and haircare products, as well as make-up and fragrances.

Fertility risks:

✴︎ Exposure to phthalates by men has been shown to affect sperm morphology and hormonal dysregulation.

✴︎ Exposure in women is linked with reduced antral follicle count.

✴︎ During pregnancy exposure is associated with changes to thyroid hormone function, is linked with babies developing autism and developmental delays, and interfering with testicular function and testosterone levels in baby boys.

✴︎ Elevated urinary phthalate levels were found in women with endometriosis and PCOS.

PCB’s and PFAS

Are fire-, stain- and water-retardants. Found in older mattresses and foam furniture, water-proof clothing and furniture, ‘non-stick’ products, make-up, as well as electronic equipment, they are able to leach out of products they’re used in. These chemicals are hazardous to humans as well as the environment, and are persistent and bioaccumulative.

Fertility risks:

☾ The effect of exposure to multiple PFAS (which is how we’d encounter them in daily life) was shown to affect sperm count, motility and morphology more than individual PFAS on their own.

☾ They are also thought to affect ovarian reserve.

Parabens

Are found in our personal care products

Fertility risks:

✴︎ Urinary levels in men correlate to poorer sperm morphology and IVF outcomes

✴︎ In women they are associated with lower antral follicle count and low birth weight in babies.

Pesticides

On our fruit and vegies, in foods made from grains that have been exposed.

Fertility risks:

☾ Pesticides are associated with sperm chromosomal issues and affect all sperm parameters.

☾ Women who live in areas of high pesticide exposure, or who consume high levels of pesticide residues on plant produce, experience a greater miscarriage risk as well as reduced clinical pregnancy and live birth rate in an IVF setting.

☾ They also affect sex steroid hormone production in women.

☾ They increase time to pregnancy.

☾ They may bring on an earlier menopause.

Heavy metals

Like lead, mercury and arsenic.

Lead is found on old painted surfaces and in drinking water.

Arsenic is hard to avoid, it’s a common contaminant in food and water.

Mercury gets into the air from burning coal, is in dental amalgams, and in our seafood.

Fertility risks:

✴︎ Heavy metals have been found in the follicular fluid of women undergoing IVF procedures, and mercury found in hair samples was associated with reduced follicle number and egg retrieval.

✴︎ Lead and mercury are associated with fibroids and that most frustrating of terms, ‘unexplained infertility’.

✴︎ Lead is associated with pre-eclampsia.

✴︎ Arsenic is associated with small for gestational age babies.

The really insidious thing about endocrine disruptors is that you don’t need to have a big, massive exposure to one substance to cause a problem. These chemicals are affecting our health with chronic, multiple, low-dose exposures. Have a think now about the chemicals you’re exposed to at work, in your hobbies, in your renovation, at home in your haircare / skincare / make-up and perfume, in the air you breathe, in your cookware and your food and drink.

Some of these substances are also persistent pollutants - they travel great distances by sea or air, persist in the environment and accumulate, usually in those at the top of the food chain.

They’re also trans-generational. Your baby’s health can absolutely be affected by your exposure to endocrine disruptors, and by your parent’s exposure - did you know that all the eggs you’ll ever have were in your ovaries when your mother was pregnant with you. So HER exposures affect you, and also YOUR eggs (and therefore your children).

So what can you do right now?

Start with these strategies that you can implement right away to reduce the impact of endocrine disruptors on your hormonal health and fertility.

🌱 Eat organic food where possible to reduce your exposure to pesticides. If it’s difficult for you to afford or source organic food, make sure to wash all your fruit and veg before using, and aim to at least buy organic animal produce and follow the EWG Dirty Dozen Clean Fifteen guide to find out the most and least contaminated fruit and veg, so you can make a decision on how to best prioritise your organic dollar.

🚰 Wash and rub your fruit and veg under running water for at least 30 seconds. The mechanical action of rubbing the produce is important - plain rinsing won’t cut it. Soaking and washing in a vinegar or salt or baking soda solution removes more pesticides that water or water + detergent alone (though in that research the produce was washed for 15 - 20 minutes!).

🥦 Let your diet support your body’s detox capabilities by consuming foods like leafy greens, cruciferous veg, onion, garlic, protein, turmeric, lemon, rosemary or green tea daily. These simple, kitchen-cupboard foods all provide nutrients that support your liver’s ability to detox our daily chemical contaminants.

🥤 Avoid plastics on and around your food and drink. This includes plastic takeaway containers, drink bottles, plastic wrap, straws. There are plenty of safer options. Check out Pinterest for some plastic-free pantry inspo!

🥫 Where you can, avoid tinned food. Unfortunately, even tinned food labelled ‘BPA-free’ often contains just as harmful endocrine disrupting substitutes like PVC, bisphenol S and F. Look for brand like Amy’s Kitchen, or shop for glass-bottled alternatives. Passata is a decent substitute for tinned tomatoes.

🍳 Avoid non-stick cookware (a side of teflon with your stir-fry anyone?). Look at stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware instead. Spend the $$ where you can on the best quality you can afford.

🕯 Use pure essential oils at home and stay away from cheap (or not so cheap!) ‘fragrant oils’ or scented candles - ‘Cookies & cream’ is not a natural scent found in Nature. Avoid synthetic air fresheners and ditch the fumey cleaning products. Switch to non-toxic or homemade cleaning products - vinegar + bicarb, and tea tree oil will take you far!

💄 Swap over to chemical-free personal care products and make-up as you run down what you currently have. There are fantastic products that will suit every budget.

💦 Invest in a good quality water filter. When you consider how much you’ll use it - to filter the water you drink, fill the kettle with, steam your vegies in, fill your ice-cube trays with - you’ll see how much value you’ll get out of your water filter.

And with each of these suggestions, you can only do the best you can! We live in the real world, with real limits on our time and financial resources. A tin of tomatoes can be a late-night meal saviour! Some interventions will be easier than others. Every small change really adds up.

Where does preconception care fit in?

Preconception is the window of time three months before conception takes place - a natural conception or IVF conception. This 12-week period is the time it takes for sperm cells to be formed and to mature, and for egg cells to mature to ovulation. These cells are maturing in whatever environment we create for them.

Preconception care is all about preparing for your pregnancy. Not only so you can spend time removing substances that are problematic for embryonic development (like cigarette smoke, pesticides, plastics, solvents, chemicals in food and drink, skincare and cookware), but also to detox your own body burden, and spend time nourishing those very cells that will become your baby - egg cells and sperm cells. You can spend this time putting all the necessary building blocks in place for those cells eg. adequate folate, iodine, zinc and Vitamin D. The health of your egg and sperm are what contribute to the health of your baby.

Research shows this 12-weeks prior to conception might even be the most important time of pregnancy, with focused health efforts during this window reducing a baby’s chance of developing asthma, eczema, learning difficulties, diabetes and obesity.

Now, obviously, Every Single Baby is precious - whether they have eczema or asthma or not! But what an amazing thing it is to consider that your health before pregnancy may reduce your baby’s risk of developing them at all!

Preconception is valuable time to learn what your body burden of toxins is, to remove or limit your exposures, and to support gentle detox with a clean diet and appropriate liver, bowel and kidney support.

Naturopathically your fertility is viewed in the context of your overall health. During preconception, the aims of your naturopathic practitioner would be to:

identify, remove and detox environmental chemical exposures (this isn’t a crazy heroic purge-like detox though - preconception is a time for gentle and targeted detox, for building up and nourishing you)
commence couple-focused investigation and treatment where possible.
ultimately to nourish and restore hormonal balance

Treatment will involve dietary and lifestyle changes, in addition to nutritional supplementation and herbal medicine where indicated.

This is of equal importance for natural OR IVF conceptions. IVF is ah-may-zing at getting egg + sperm together, but you and your naturopath can really work on making those cells as healthy as possible in the first place, to optimise IVF outcomes.

Learning to minimise your chemical exposures and promote healthy habits, are lifestyle skills you’ll take with you throughout your family life.

Preconception care gives you the opportunity to lay the groundwork to Feel Good before your pregnancy. To support your health for a trouble-free pregnancy. To Be Well when your baby is born so you can enjoy each newborn minute!

Some resources for your chemical-free adventure:

✴︎ Environmental Working Group - Dirty dozen, clean fifteen, Skin deep

☾ Low Tox Life

✴︎ One bite at a time

☾ Nourished Life

✴︎ Biome

☾ Flora & Fauna

If you have any questions about how endocrine disruptors may be affecting your fertility, or about preconception care, make an appointment with Jacintha to discuss.

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