"High-Pesticide Produce Not Helpful For Fertility" - Dennis Thompson
Couples who are trying to have children should probably be picky about their produce, a new study suggests. Women are less likely to reproduce if they ate large amounts of fruits and vegetables known to have high levels of pesticide residue. In fact, a woman’s odds of becoming pregnant increased by 79 percent and her odds of delivering a live birth by 88 percent if once a day she swapped a serving of high-pesticide produce for a fruit or vegetable with less pesticide residue, the researchers found. Prior research has found that pesticides can disrupt hormones in animals, interfering with pregnancy, said Alan Copperman, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Copperman noted this finding should be further studied before recommendations are made. "I would not conclude that a patient should only be eating organically grown fruits and vegetables," Dr. Copperman said. “If she eats something not organically grown, she will not be harming herself, her pregnancy or her future child. That would be a huge jump from this article."
- Alan Copperman, MD, Clinical Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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