Pollution, Plastics, Hormones: The Silent Threat to Fertility

• Fertility clinics observe unexplained poor embryo quality, implantation failure, and rapid reproductive decline in women with normal cycles and ovarian reserve.
• Dr. Radhika Sheth highlights environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as a key factor accelerating hormonal erosion, affecting cellular and receptor levels.
• Air pollution causes oxidative stress, compromising ovarian follicles and sperm DNA, leading to poorer IVF outcomes in younger patients.
• Plastic chemicals like bisphenols and phthalates mimic estrogen, impair progesterone sensitivity, and contribute to poor luteal support and high sperm DNA fragmentation.
• Environmental hormonal disruption operates below routine diagnostic thresholds, making early detection difficult, especially in contexts like India with high pollution and delayed family planning.