Environmental Contamination And Reproductive Health: The Survey Of The Northern Population

Introduction

The exposure to heavy metals induces hormonal disorders, prevent ovulation and pregnancies. Emissions of heavy metals to the environment occur to the air, to the surface waters and to the soil.

Aim

To investigate the impact of exposure to lead, cadmium and arsenic acid on fertility parameters of IVF patients.

Materials & Methods

The levels of heavy metals in blood/urine were compared to the levels in seminal (SF) or follicular fluid (FF) of the IVF patients. The potential association between the levels of heavy metals in the body fluids and fertility parameters was examined.

Results

Thirty eight patients were enrolled to the study up to February 2017 (19 men and 19 women). Arsenic acid was measured in the urine of 12 females and 11 males, in the FF and SF of 3 female and 7 men patients. Cadmium was measured more in male than in female samples (4 vs. 0 in urine, 2 vs.1 in blood, 3 vs.0 in SF vs. FF). Lead was detected in the blood of 5 males and 3 females, in the urine of 4 males and in the SF of 5 males. No negative effect of arsenic acid on the ovarian response, fertilization and cleavage rates was observed so far. Slightly negative effect was observed on the sperm quality of males with measured levels of heavy metals.

Conclusions

The preliminary results indicate that heavy metals can be detected in the examined body fluids. Negative impact of arsenic acid in SF on the sperm quality was observed.