As our lives become busier and we focus on establishing our careers, we may not realize the negative impacts that this may have on our reproductive health. Many of us may chose to work in metropolitan city centers for better work opportunities and better access. As women become more work oriented, they spend more of their reproductive age trying to establish themselves before they start thinking about having a family. The passage of time alone reduces the fertility of women. This along with the added stress and factors such as exposure to air pollution has been shown to decrease fertility potential in women.
Many studies have been conducted on advanced age and stress which I can talk about in future posts. Here, I want to focus on a topic that is not frequently talked about. A new study has looked at the effects of air pollution on the ovarian reserve of women. Air pollution is all around us and much more concentrated in industrial and commercial areas. Living in areas with high pollution levels may be harming us in many ways including our fertility. Focusing on nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter found in pollution, the higher the exposure to these, the lower the women's anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels. AMH is a good indicator of ovarian reserve. Causation can not be inferred at this point but there is a great indication that air pollution and lower ovarian reserve are correlated. This is a good starting point to conduct more research on the matter. Even though, the impact of air pollution on ovarian reserve was clearly seen, the permanency is not yet fully understood. Also more research could be conducted to correlate higher infertility rates and high air pollution in geographical areas.
This is the link to the research study if you are interested in having a more detailed look: https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_143588
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with putting your career first and focusing on advancing yourself. Looking at the path I've chosen for myself for example, I know I will not be ready to have a family until I am satisfied with where I am in my career. For many, it is a compromise that is worth it, however some women are unaware of the negative effects that may cause problems with fertility until it is too late and so this is just to raise some awareness.
