According to an investigation by the Associated Press 41,000,000 Americans are exposed to pharmaceutical drugs in their drinking water. Although the amounts are small, measured in parts per billions or trillions, and the water suppliers assure us our water is safe, no one knows the long term effects of consuming the combination of all these drugs.

How do the drugs get there? It’s believed that we take pills, our body absorbs a certain amount, and the rest we excrete as urine or feces, and flush down the toilet. The residues end up in our waster water, which in then treated, and recycled back to us for consumption. Also, veterinary drugs given to livestock and pets also end up in our water supply.

The long term health effects of pharmaceutical exposure in unknown. The Fox News article, Study Finds Traces of Drugs in Drinking Water in 24 Major U.S. Cities, explains the potential health risks beter than I can.

“Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.”

“Many concerns about chronic low-level exposure focus on certain drug classes: chemotherapy that can act as a powerful poison; hormones that can hamper reproduction or development; medicines for depression and epilepsy that can damage the brain or change behavior; antibiotics that can allow human germs to mutate into more dangerous forms; pain relievers and blood-pressure diuretics.”

“‘These are chemicals that are designed to have very specific effects at very low concentrations. That’s what pharmaceuticals do. So when they get out to the environment, it should not be a shock to people that they have effects,’ says zoologist John Sumpter at Brunel University in London, who has studied trace hormones, heart medicine and other drugs.”

“And while drugs are tested to be safe for humans, the timeframe is usually over a matter of months, not a lifetime. Pharmaceuticals also can produce side effects and interact with other drugs at normal medical doses. That’s why — aside from therapeutic doses of fluoride injected into potable water supplies — pharmaceuticals are prescribed to people who need them, not delivered to everyone in their drinking water.”

Dr. Williams’ Comments:

My concern is the long term exposure to sex hormones and other drugs from our drinking water may have a negative the effect on your fertility.

Certain drugs are known to compromise fertility in women. Hormones, antibiotics, and antihypertensives medications can prevent the embryo from implanting in the uterus. If taken near the middle of the menstrual cycle Motrin, Anaprox, Indocin, and aspirin can prevent ovulation. Antidepressants and painkillers may increase your prolactin levels and cause ovulation failure.

These are some of the medications which were discovered in the drinking water of major cities:

• 56 medications including medications for pain, infections, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness, and high cholesterol were discovered in the Philadelphia water supply.
• Antibiotics were found in the drinking water of Tucson.
• Sex hormones were found in the water supply of San Fransisco.
• According to the Fox News article, “Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals. Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads.”
• A study from the University of Montreal detailed how the Montreal water treatment facility dumps 90 times the critical amounts of estrogen. The estrogens studied not only included natural estrogens but synthetic estrogens from birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy used for menopausal symptoms.

Here’s the take home point. Scientifically, we know that pharmaceuticals damage wildlife producing changes to the reproductive systems of fish and reptiles. On the other hand, we don’t know if any harm comes to humans from exposure to pharmaceuticals in our drinking water. We also don’t know whether long term consumption is safe. To put it in perspective, if you’re a 30 year old women you have been exposed to tiny amount of pharmaceutical every time you went to your faucet for a drink for the past 30 years. Could unnecessary exposure to hormones, antibiotics, antidepressants, and other drugs over the past 30 years, effect you health? Possibly. I would suggest most likely. Either way, it’s not a medical experiment I would choose to participate in.

          Study Finds Traces of Drugs in Drinking Water in 24 Major U.S. Regions

          Fox News video on topic. Great Video.

          Estrogen ‘Flooding Our Rivers’, Montreal Study Finds

          Traces of Drugs Found in Drinking Water

A woman’s cycle in separated into two parts. The follicular phase which occurs from the first day of menses until ovulation, generally 14 days. The latter half of the cycle is termed the luteal phase which occurs from ovulation to the beginning of the next cycle, when menses begins again. The luteal phase generally lasts 10-17 days. If the luteal phase lasts less then 10 days that is considered a luteal phase defect which affects 5% of infertile women and prevents pregnancy.   About 35% of women who experience recurrent miscarriages have a luteal phase defect.

After ovulation the follicle, which releases the egg, transform into the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum begins to produce significant amounts of progesterone.  Progesterone is necessary to build and maintain the lining of the uterus allowing for the proper implantation of a fertilized egg.  Adequate amounts of progesterone are absolutely necessary for proper conception, getting pregnant, and maintaining a pregnancy.  A luteal phase defect is characterized by decreased levels of progesterone, resulting from the inadequate production from the corpus luteum.

150 women seeking infertility treatment were enrolled in a study. A group of these women received 750mg of Vitamin C daily for three consecutive menstrual cycles.  After these three cycles the majority of the women who received the vitamin C showed significant increases in progesterone levels.  Better news was that 25% of the women receiving vitamin C became pregnant.

Dr. Williams’ comments:

One of the factors which can contribute to luteal phase defect is oxidative damage caused by inadequate antioxidant protection, increased free radical activity, and possibly low intake and fruits and vegetables. Research has already shown that women who suffer from luteal phase defect and recurrent miscarriage have lower levels of the key antioxidants vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Glutathione.

So, what can we take from this. Free radical damage has been implicated in many conditions most notably heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, and diabetes. Now we know that free radical damage also plays roll in one cause of infertility.  Vitamin C is an inexpensive nutrient that shows potential benefit for women suffering from luteal phase defect and should definitely be considered for these women.

The importance of diet should also be highlighted for female infertility.  A study from the University of Rochester compared the diets of infertile man and fertile men and compared their findings with sperm motility.  Infertile men were twice as likely to have lower intakes of fruits and vegetables (less than 5 serving per day). Furthermore, men with the lowest intake of dietary antioxidants had lower sperm motility. Now it is clear that a healthy diet high in antioxidants from fruits and vegetables is vitally important for couples having trouble getting pregnant.

Check out this article, Rhodiola: The Little Known Fertility Herb.

More Rhodiola information, the American Botanical Council

Women suffering from chronic stress experience menstrual irregularities, hormonal changes, have impaired ovulation, experience weight gain, and increased cortisol and prolactin levels, all factors which interfere with conception. Infertility is a double whammy for stress. First, women who suffer with depression, anxiety, and chronic stress have difficulty getting pregnant. Secondly, struggling to conceive is stressful itself. So, even if you don’t begin depressed, anxious, or stressed out, struggling with fertility or undergoing infertility treatment creates it own stress. To explain how severe the stress is for women suffering with infertility, studies have shown that women undergoing infertility treatment experience stress levels similar to persons struggling chronic diseases such as cancer or autoimmune disease.

What to do about stress?

Fortunately, there are many options to help ameliorate the effects of stress: meditation, yoga, exercise, hobbies, counseling, acupuncture, adaptogenic herbs, and journaling are all effective stress reduction exercises. The following article the Power of Positive Thinking details the dramatic benefits stress reduction can have enhancing fertility.

The Power of Positive Thinking

However, the 26.3% also struck me as interesting. This study examined some of the most advanced reproductive techniques conventional medicine has to offer and the resulting success was 26%, approximately 1 in 4.

Next, I began to look more closely at assisted reproductive therapies(ART) such as IVF. IVF treatment occurs in cycles, in which hormones and medications are used to stimulate the ovaries, eggs are harvested, the eggs are fertilized outside the body, then 2-3 embryos are transferred into the woman’s womb. A typical round or cycle of IVF or other reproductive therapies cost $10,000 - $15,000. So, if there is only a 1 in 4 chance of IVF producing a pregnancy, most couples will require more than one cycle. The cost starts climbing from $15,000 to $30,000 to $45,000. If IVF is the only option for a couple having difficulty conceiving, then the cost is reasonable. However, as a naturopathic physician I know there are many other effective and less costly options.

Proper conception and ovulation are dependent upon many factors including diet, nutritional deficiencies, stress levels, body weight, underlying conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis, thyroid function, and environmental pollutants. Conventionally trained physicians are not trained to look for the underlying factors. Often, they go straight to the most advanced treatments without considering all the underlying causes. Many couples are unaware of the effective natural options for infertility treatment, and that is why the Get Pregnant Now blog was born. To make that information readily available and make those suffering from infertility better health consumers.

           Acupuncture Today, IVF and Acupuncture