although there may be some research on this i think if makeup, use of plastics, shampoos, lotions, etc then nobody in this world would have kids since we would all be infertile. i guess until there is a conclusive, backed by many facts and years of research other than theories than i will believe it.... im not trying to be rude or anything but i had an old doctor tell me the environment may be the cause of my endometriosis due to dioxins in plastics, tampons,etc. well my mother, sister, aunts, cousins, grandma all eat and drink from plastic, use tampons, loitons, shampoos and soap and not one had fertility issues for endometriosis but me. my grandma even had 14 kids one every year

I definitely understand your perspective, and there are many confounding factors so it's not quite so straightforward. Your grandmother having 14 children would actually tend to prove the research right--your grandmother's generation was not as exposed to all the chemicals and plastics as the current generations (people weren't exactly microwaving plastic take-out dishes and drinking Deer Park water out of plastic bottles (it was the good old tap water back then) in the 50s, 60s, and 70s).

I guess my perspective is that if they are now finding direct links between breast cancer and these chemicals, why wouldn't the chemicals also cause issues with fertility? These chemicals, just like genetically modified foods (which absorb the pesticides)-80% of our current food sources- mimic estrogen in the body, thus women's bodies absorb them into places like breast tissue. There are plenty of studies on the link between these things and breast cancer.

There are also a multitude of confounding factors so it's not as simple as we all use shampoo with parabens and drink hot liquids out of plastic so we all end up infertile. It has to do with level of exposure, length of exposure (women who start trying to get pregnant at older ages have been exposed longer), types of products used, individual body chemistry, etc.

So yes, chemicals and plastics may or may not be linked to fertility issues, however I guess I would rather just not take the chance--and beyond fertility I would rather not increase my risk for breast cancer. If you do some researching, there is actually already a lot of research out there showing this link. I can't imagine it ever becoming "big news" however because how many companies put these things in their products? Yeah, just about all of them. And infertility (and breast cancer-only 5-10% of breast cancer is now a result of genetic factors)is skyrocketing.

It's absolutely a personal decision, and I completely respect your opinion and where you're coming from. It's never black and white, always some shade of gray. Totally a personal decision.

i agree i think it just opinions. i respect your perspective but coming from a family of what it seems like jack rabbits literally having 5 kids by age 24 lol its kinda of hard to really for me to go on a this environment theory. we have family gatherings every sunday and have been for the last 14 years. plastic plates/ cups , alot of microwave use and drinking water or pop, juices, coffee etc yet everyone doesnt have any issues reproductively. we added 4 new additions to the family all in december 2010 and 2 more on the way for 2011. im glad your taking an approach to stop using these things but i feel like in the future just like back in the 1960's how DES was used in pregnancy and they found out it was causing cancer risks, defects and infertility in the mothers and babies there is going to be something later in the future that we are using today that is going to come back as causing problems.

Yes, who knows what we'll find in the future. I certainly hope that there aren't any environmental causes to infertility, that would be the best discovery possible!

It certainly sounds like you've got a fun, and big, family! Hopefully you'll be able to add an addition of your own in the very near future. All the best to you!

There are most definitely environmental causes of infertility. In Canada, they are moving towards banning BPA's in plastics for that exact reason (I believe it's already been banned in baby bottles). It's not just plastics either. Our drinking water may actually be partly to blame as well since hormones are not filtered from water.

Of course, people have difference sensitivities. You can think of it the same as the smoking argument. It's known that smoking causes a higher risk of lung cancer but you'll also find the exception of the 90 year old who has smoked their whole life and didn't get it; doesn't negate the evidence that smoking causes cancer.

Sure not everyone experiences infertility but the statistics are that rates of infertility are increasing and there is increasing evidence of environmental causes. Similarly, with men there is evidence of a general trend of decreasing sperm count and motility.

Thanks for your reply countingdown. I think Canada is definitely ahead of us here in the US.

I am always interested in reading/learning more regarding research. If there's anything you have from Canada, would LOVE to read it! Glad to hear that Canada is taking steps to get rid of BPA's in plastic!