Approximately 9% of men (1) and 13.1% (2) of women of childbearing age have problems with infertility or impaired fecundity, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 7% of couples in the US have difficulty getting pregnant (3). Trends in sperm count have declined by 50-60% since the 1970s. External factors are linked to these disturbing trends, with evidence indicating that exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pesticides, heat, and lifestyle factors are contributors (4). Maternal and paternal exposures to EDCs and air pollution have been found to influence the genes that are linked to sex steroid hormones, which impact fertility and pregnancy (5) (6).
In the third webinar in the series, “Generation Chemical: How Environmental Exposures Are Affecting Reproductive Health and Development,” Linda Giudice, MD, PhD, MSc, introduced the webinar and Jodi Flaws, PhD, and Audrey Gaskins, ScD, presented their research on how exposure to chemicals are affecting fertility including links between phthalates and follicle health and air pollution and live birth. Their findings inform air pollution standards, chemical regulatory reform, and equity-driven policies.