Wednesday, June 16, 2010

BPA-exposed rats develop polycystic ovarian syndrome


That is the name of this article from Environmental Health News published yesterday.  The study, which examined rats injected with BPA (bisphenol A) - a polymer used to create plastics - found that early exposure to BPA can lead to the rats developing PCOS-like symptoms later in life. PCOS, as most in the TTC community already know, is one of the leading causes of infertility in women.  However, little is understood about what causes PCOS, which is why I found this article so interesting.
The widely used environmental chemical BPA disrupts hormonal activity and has been shown to interfere with the normal development and function of the reproductive system. Scientists have suggested that early exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals, such as BPA, may therefore play a role in the development of PCOS. A team of Argentine researchers recently tested this hypothesis, examining whether exposure to BPA during a critical period of development might contribute to this common disorder. They found that rats exposed to BPA shortly after birth showed symptoms similar to those that characterize PCOS in women, including altered hormone levels, differences in the ovaries and impaired fertility.
Unfortunately, epoxy resins containing bisphenol A are used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans, though it is currently under scrutiny. Plastics labeled with either of the following can contain BPA that can leak into food:


There isn't much good news here, folks, this stuff has been on the market for over 50 years.  If you do have PCOS though, I did just read an article about how FertilAid for Women can help women with PCOS.

Good luck, stay healthy, and watch what you eat off of.

Click here to read the rest of the article on BPA exposed  rats and PCOS

1 comment:

  1. I first had symptoms when i was 17 and was told that i had PCOS (thin people type PCOS) and was officially diagnosed at 22 ans now i am 35. I have always had regular periods and unless on birth control pills were they irregular at times and I had a hard time getting pregnant because of the absent periods. I was always told by doctors that I would have a hard time conceiving so I would only go on the pill periodically which i did for more than 4 years, not for protection against getting pregnant, but just to get a period (since I was told it's not healthy to have less than 4 or so periods a year). Last time I went on a 3 month birth control pill and then stopped again because the medicine was not curing my pcos nor making me get pregnant. I went in search for a cure and ended up with so many drugs, medicine and even soaps that didn't work. I actually thought at a point that i was cursed that there is no cure for it, i was prepared to live like that till i read a testimony of a patient who suffered from pcos whose case was even worse than mine and how she was cured completely, I was amazed and at thesame time anxious and curious so i had to contact the doctor with the contact details that she left on the note. The doctor gave me so much hope and confidence with her kind words of encouragement to believe in myself and i was lifted because no one has ever given me hope like that before. I ordered the medicine, took it for 8 weeks and to my complete surprise, all the facial hairs, weight gain and all disappeared within 4 weeks and I ended up getting pregnant within a few weeks of completing the treatment! I was in shock. I think the main reasons it happened was that I never gave up and was ready to try alternative treatment so my body was back to normal. Before now i never enjoyed sex because it was very painful but now i do and my husband is the best thing that ever happened to me.. I hope this inspires some of you because I never in a million years would have thought that I would get pregnant and was getting frustrated and now our baby is due next month! You can reach her on aletedwin@gmail.com if you find yourself in a similar situation.

    ReplyDelete