Non-Toxic Products and Infertility
Okay, so I know there's a lot of buzz going around about living a "non-toxic" lifestyle and choosing a more "natural approach" to healthcare etc. Like A LOT of buzz. I almost feel like it's becoming a trendy thing to have a "holistic" lifestyle and sometimes, it can overwhelm us to the point where we roll our eyes and just move on. Believe me, I get it.
But let's take a second to chat about it because if you've stumbled upon this post, then I have a hunch that this will be very beneficial for you.
Let me start off by being very blunt: the every day products that you use in your home and in/on your body can directly impact your health and fertility.
Don't believe me? Then let's try this a different way.
Did you know that when you go in for an embryo transfer, you're not allowed to wear makeup, deodorant, perfume, cologne, lotion, etc.?
Why?
Because the ingredients (like fragrance) in those products are harsh enough to tamper with the embryos in the embryo lab next door. The embryologist and doctors at the clinic aren't going to allow these sacred embryos to be exposed to something so harsh because it can have a negative impact on their growth.
So, if it's not allowed in the embryo lab then why is it allowed in our products at all? Further more, WHY would we even want to put that on our body?
Because the truth of the matter is- whatever is happening in the lab is what would be happening in your body; therefore, the products that are dangerous for the embryos in the lab are just as dangerous to the person who will be housing the embryo aka- YOU.
I don't say any of this to scare you or intimidate you. I say this to help you and educate you. I had no idea that the every day products I was using were packed full of dangerous ingredients and once I started to really look into it, my eyes were opened to a frustrating and overwhelming truth.
If you're new to this journey, then my first piece of advice for you is to download the EWG app to your phone. The next time you go to the store to purchase cleaner, detergent, soap, etc. pull out your phone and scan the barcode of the product you're about to buy. The app will rate it for you and tell you the general health concerns (if any) that are possible from the ingredients included in your product.
I was SHOCKED to see that hormone disruption and infertility were some of the health concerns associated with mainstream every day products. In fact, if you see anything about a product causing hormone disruption, you need to run the other way! You need to take care of your hormone levels and avoid exposure (when you can) to toxic products that disrupt those levels because they're crucial to the baby making process.
Another ingredient that you need to be on the look out for is "fragrance" or "perfume" because these are blanket terms that can house thousands of toxic ingredients that the company legally doesn't have to disclose. So, if you see fragrance, throw it down and RUN.
When you're struggling to conceive, the last thing you want to do is further disrupt your hormones or to add on even more harsh chemicals to your daily routine. All of this points to why I have a "clean living" section of the shop. It's important to take care of yourself and I believe that giving your body all natural, nourishing products is a great way to do that.
If you'd like to do more reading on this topic, then I highly encourage you to visit the blog archive and read up on some of the other non-toxic blog posts that I've written in the past.
If you'd like to take it a step further and find some non-toxic products to get started, then check out these products from the shop:
Lip Balm in Lavender and Grapefruit
Flower Soak in Lavender and Geranium
Raw Honey Amber and Mookaite Jasper Necklace (helps relieve stress)
If you're looking for even more non-toxic products or companies, I highly recommend the following:
Primally Pure (clean skincare).
Attitude (clean laundry detergent and dish soap).
Dime Beauty (clean skincare and makeup), use code: STEPHANIEB20
Earthley (clean skincare, vitamins, overall wellness, etc.), use code: STEPHANIEB for 10% off your first order
[Please understand that this blog post contains affiliate links.]