A newly published study has found what appears to be an association between blood levels of certain PFC's (perfluorinated chemicals)  and fertility. The higher a woman's blood levels of the PFC's in early pregnancy, the more likely it was that she had taken longer to become pregnant.

PFC's are found in food packaging and in clothing, upholstery, carpet and other items which have been treated to make them stain-resistant. The PFC's tested in this study were perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). These chemicals persist in the environment and animal studies have found that they may have toxic effects on the liver, immune system and reproductive organs and may affect sex hormone balance.

This study was conducted using data from 1240 Danish women who each gave birth to a healthy baby as a result of a planned pregnancy. Blood samples taken from the women between weeks 4 - 14 of their pregnancies were tested for PFOA and PFOS. Blood chemical levels were then related to the length of time it took the women to become pregnant. Less than 1 in 10 women with the lowest PFOA and PFOS levels took more than 12 months to fall pregnant. This number rose to 2 in 10 for women with the highest blood chemical levels.

It was noted that this is an association study - it does not prove that the chemicals cause infertility. Further work is required to determine the biological mechanisms by which PFOA and PFOS may affect fertility.

References :

Doheny, K.  2009  Common chemicals may affect fertility Online, available at : http://www.ewg.org/node/27562  (Viewed on 9.2.09)

Fei, C., McLaughlin, J., LIpworth, L. and Olsen, J.   2009   Maternal levels of perfluorinated chemicals and subfecundity   Vol. 24, Issue 2. Online, available at : http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org   (Viewed 8.2.09)

Raloff, J.  2009  Nonstick chemicals linked to infertility  Online, available at : http://www.ewg.org/node/27570  (Viewed on 9.2.09)