Photo Credit – Penn State

There are numerous factors that can impact fertility, and sadly pollution or severe smog is included on the list of reasons.  Fertility specialists know how to help patients when conception is impeded due to medical challenges, such as tubal disease, sperm factors, egg factors, etc .  Yet, there is little physicians can offer preventively when the problem is environmental – such as in the case of severe pollution.

TIME magazine reported  last year how researchers from the Environmental Health Perspectives,  found that pollutants, including pesticides and pollution, have been linked to a reduction in fertility of up to 29%.  Moreover, the National Institute of Health (NIH) cited in 2010 the following, “Epidemiological studies demonstrated that exposure to ambient levels of air pollutants are associated with low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, neonatal death, and decreased fertility in males.”

In addition, countries such as China and Brazil have been in the media and science community spotlights for having exceptionally high levels of smog and consequently higher than average infertility rates among men.  Why are these countries and others suffering from much pollution and seeing an increase with infertility? For starters, pollution rates have surged in areas that have high population density where cars are now the primary means for transportation. Also countries with steel and coal industries have higher smog levels.  And, it is noteworthy, that while China and Brazil have been highlighted in the press, these countries are not alone in having residents experiencing significant health issues due to pollution. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that pollution is largely a global problem generating health concerns among children and adults. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to ending pollution, which can then lead to the conclusion that fertility- especially in males – will remain problematic for years to come.

While there are no easy answers on how to end pollution globally, we hope that our knowledgeable and multi-lingual staff at the  Fertility Institute of Hawaii can provide to individuals and couples assistance if fertility is impeded, including due to environmental factors. To aid prospective and current patients we have established a new online website presence- the International Fertility Institute of Hawaii, to meet the specific needs of patients who are off–island or international.

We understand that patients from countries where pollution and other factors are impacting their ability to conceive or build families, may be searching for alternatives or treatments not offered in their homelands. Therefore, we offer services such as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), donor egg programs, and donor sperm.

To learn more or contact us, simply click here.
Our institute may not be able to solve environmental concerns; however we are dedicated to working with our patients to help create the family of their dreams.