Driving 6 hours one way for a blood test (because of the sensitivity of the test, and therefore, the lab matters) is brutal. One thing that keeps me sane during the long drives is podcasts. I've mentioned Creating A Family many times on this blog and have a link to the site on my side bar. One of their recent podcasts discusses how the environment, namely chemicals in our environment, may be affecting our fertility. Dawn asked many questions about specific products in our homes--cosmetics, furniture, foods. The answers weren't anything new to me. I buy organic fruit and garden, I use vinegar to clean my kitchen, I try to buy body care products without parabens and fragrances. When I eat meat I buy local, without hormones or antibiotics. Same with milk.
And when the subject turned to milk, I paused with a funny thought. Hormones, Antibiotics and steroids. Unless you are buying organic or from a company that does not use hormones, antibiotics and steroids, most dairy cows are given hormones and steroids to stimulate milk production. And antibiotics to combat infection that arises from factory farm living conditions.
Hormones, Antibiotics and Steroids. Does this regimen sound familiar? I just finished my round of antibiotics. On Monday I will start hormone injections and later start a low dose steroid.
I'm not saying I feel like a factory cow or making an analogous statement about infertility treatment. I'm not questioning the health and environmental benefit of organic and ethically farmed food, nor am I questioning the use of hormones, antibiotics and steroids for IVF. I just happened to have a moment where this little irony in my life was not lost on me--hormones, antibiotics and steroids.
For more information on how the environment affects reproductive health visit UCSF's Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment.
6 comments:
I was just talking about this with some teachers. Girls are getting their periods in 4th grade now, that's 11 years old. They are beginning to develop breasts at 8 or 9! No wonder we're infertile by the time we're thirty something.
Hi I'm Tracey from The Fertility Daily blog, here from ICLW.
Wow. What a strange and interesting thought. And Kate's comment is interesting too.
I guess we hormonally-enhanced, antibiotic-ridden, steroid-laced IVF women can sleep soundly knowing that we won't be the top choice on the menu if some dominant beings take over earth and eat humans!
And congrats to you for being ahead of the game on healthy living. At least you will know that those toxins are not part of your issues and won't affect your future pregnancy.
I blog for my old IVF doctors to share my experiences. I hope that NIAW and ICLW will help me find new blogs to follow and to spread the word about their Free Micro-IVF contest that kicks off this week. Anyone interested can get the details this week on our blog or the Long Island IVF FB page.
Good luck!
Hi from ICLW! Tracy's comment above made me shoot milk out of my nose. I just imagined al alien wife at trader joes trying to verify we were organic...
I think your positivity for this cycle is great. Hoping for success for you!
Very interesting thoughts! Well, at least you're learning stuff during that 6 hour drive... Phew, that must be exhausting! But well worth it! :)
Oh yeah...I have thought of that too.
Irony much?
I second what Kate said.
#24
Hi from ICLW - I need to check out that podcast! I have noticed some of the same things Kate mentions in her comment. Thanks for giving me some food for thought.
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