Infertility has quietly become one of the more pressing public health concerns of our time, touching nearly one in six people across the world. However, Mumbai health experts say the role that everyday chemical exposure may be playing in this doesn’t get highlighted as much as it should.
Every year, World IVF Day is observed on July 25 to commemorate the birth of Louise Brown, who is the world’s first successful in vitro fertilisation baby, born in 1978. However, it is also used to highlight reproductive challenges including infertility, and city-based fertility specialists highlight how chemicals are one of the reasons for it.
What are the chemicals affecting fertility?
Dr. Hitesha Ramnani Rohira, Consultant, IVF at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, explains, “Almost everyone today comes in contact with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) through things that barely register as a concern. Plastic packaging, cosmetics, pesticides, and contaminated water are among the most common sources people encounter daily. These chemicals have a way of interfering with the body’s hormonal system, and the reproductive system is particularly vulnerable to that kind of disruption.”
Dr Rohira highlights that for women, the effects that have been observed include poor egg quality, ovulatory disorders, higher rates of miscarriage, and lower success with treatments like IVF. For men, the concern sits around sperm count, sperm quality, and motility, all of which have been linked to EDC exposure. “This is worth taking seriously given that sperm counts globally have been declining steadily over the past few decades. Infertility is shaped by many things, but the growing evidence around EDCs makes a strong case that environmental exposure deserves far more attention,” the expert adds.
It is not only Dr Rohira but also Dr Farah Ingale, director – Internal Medicine & Consultant – Diabetologist, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Navi Mumbai, who believes more people need to take it seriously.
She explains, “Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are synthetic compounds commonly found in plastics, pesticides, cosmetics, and everyday household products that interfere with the body’s natural hormone function. Because human reproduction is entirely hormone-driven, exposure to these chemicals can significantly affect fertility in both men and women. In women, exposure to EDCs such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates has been associated with conditions including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), irregular ovulation, diminished ovarian reserve, endometriosis, and implantation failure.”
In men, Dr Ingale says EDCs can reduce testosterone production, leading to lower sperm count, poor sperm motility, increased DNA fragmentation, and erectile dysfunction. These chemicals act as “hormonal noise”, disrupting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, impairing thyroid function, and reducing insulin sensitivity—all of which play a critical role in reproductive health.
How to avoid exposure to chemicals
However, the Mumbai health experts say the impact of EDC exposure is modifiable. Reducing exposure for at least three months before conception or fertility treatment can improve both egg and sperm quality, making environmental detoxification an increasingly important component of modern reproductive medicine.