Environmental Toxins May Undermine Fertility, IVF Success — Ashiru

 

Left to right: MART Group staff with the IFFS President at the AFFS and AFRH conference: Oluwole Ogunsola (MART Embryologist), Dr. Joshua Olaseide, Ms. Funmi Jatto, Marcus Horton (IFFS President), Professor Oladapo (MART Chairman), Ms. Joy Iniobong, Dr. Olaitan Shote (MART IVF Specialist), and Dr. Kofo Eseigbe.

Environmental toxins may be silently undermining fertility and the success of assisted reproductive treatment, a leading Nigerian fertility specialist, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, has warned, calling for greater attention to preconception assessment and detoxification screening among couples planning pregnancy.

Ashiru, Secretary General of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), gave the warning while presenting an update on preconception cleansing at the 2nd African Federation of Fertility Societies (AFFS) and 16th Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH) meeting held in Abuja.

According to him, exposure to air, water, food, soil and everyday products can expose people to endocrine-disrupting chemicals capable of affecting sperm and egg quality as well as the developing baby. He said routine semen analysis may not explain between 30 and 40 per cent of male-factor infertility, with sperm DNA damage, oxidative stress and epigenetic changes increasingly recognised as factors influencing embryo development and live births.

Ashiru cited evidence linking environmental exposures to reproductive challenges, including findings that sperm DNA fragmentation above 30 per cent is associated with reduced blastocyst formation during IVF. He also pointed to studies linking pesticides, bisphenol A, phthalates and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury with impaired reproductive outcomes.

He further identified pollution and environmental degradation in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta as particular concerns, alongside global exposures arising from mining, deforestation, pesticides, industrial chemicals and climate change. He noted that international professional bodies have also highlighted the reproductive health implications of toxic environmental chemicals.

The presentation also outlined findings from the MART/MARTLIFE Detox Clinic, where 131 patients who underwent a preconception detoxification programme were compared with 87 who did not. The reported pregnancy rate was 41.2 per cent among those who underwent detoxification, compared with 31 per cent in the other group, while live birth rates were 23.7 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

Ashiru called for stronger public and clinician education, advocacy and further research into environmental exposures and fertility. He urged couples planning pregnancy to discuss occupational and environmental exposures, lifestyle and diet with qualified fertility specialists as part of preconception care.