INSIGHTS | 26. Polyester & Infertility

There are growing health concerns for the overuse of plastics in everyday life, including the clothing you wear.

Photo by Dainis Graveris on Unsplash

Article: An experimental study on the effect of different types of textiles on conception.

Context

Plastics are ubiquitous, and for good reason. They have improved our lives in ways which we cannot begin to fathom. From the industrial to the personal day-to-day, plastics have touched everything.

As with all things, however, there are downsides. Whether to the environment (enabling mass production, consumption, and waste), or to our bodies in the form of BPA and Phthalates.

Researchers have been warning about the use of plastics in everyday life for decades, including those who present rather convincing data suggesting hormonal impact of plastics via estrogenic disruption.

In the digital health-hacking biosphere, avoiding exposure to hormone disruptors has become a hot-topic issue. Whether the concern is about the impact of estrogens on overall hormone regulation, cancer, or fertility.

The study we are about to discuss explored the impact of different textiles on the hormonal cycle and fertility of female dogs (bitches). Based on their results, our fears are supported…but, not for the reason we were expecting.

More pressingly, it seems that the impact of polyester on fertility impacts both men and women.

Recently, I stumbled the work of a surgeon from Cairo, Egypt: Ahmed Shafik.

Shafik has performed some very interesting experiments on both dogs and humans, as pertains to fertility.

The study linked above is of particular interest, as female infertility seems to be on the rise.