More and more evidence is being amassed by the medical community on the potentially harmful effects of mercury on the healthy development of human beings. Many studies have shown it to be harmful to babies, so researchers turned their attention to whether it can affect fertility and assisted reproduction outcomes.
Mercury Exposure and Fertility
A 2002 study carried out in Hong Kong, where the population eats a high amount of mercury containing fish and they found that higher mercury burden was associated with infertility. They interviewed 150 infertile couples and 26 fertile couples about their diet and usage of other mercury containing products like fish supplement pills and cosmetics and found that the infertile couples had a ‘significantly’ higher amount of mercury in their blood.
Another study in Thailand that looked at the bodies of sharks found that they contained a level of mercury six times higher than the level considered ‘safe’ for humans.
The risk to people in countries that don’t eat as much fish is thought to be less. However, exposure to mercury can come from other sources such as power stations, medicines and vaccines. People can also be exposed to mercury occupationally.
Mercury and IVF Outcome
Due to the connection between mercury and infertility, researchers wanted to see whether high mercury levels would influence the success rates of IVF treatment, so they looked at 271 IVF cycles from 195 women and took hair samples to measure the amount of mercury in their hair. They also questioned them on their fish intake.
They wanted to find out if higher mercury concentration was associated with implantation failure after IVF and they actually found that women with higher amounts of mercury in their hair had greater success rates with IVF. This puzzled them and they theorized that the beneficial effects of omega 3 may have negated the harmful effects of mercury.
However, they obviously weren’t aware of other research looking at mercury in baby vaccines that has shown when mercury is being excreted from the body, it appears in the hair. Therefore, a high level of mercury in the hair shows that a high level of mercury is being excreted from the body. Samples of hair from first baby haircuts were taken and they found that autistic babies had reduced amounts of mercury in their hair. Why? What happens if it isn’t excreted? It stays in the body where it can do damage, so a more accurate way of measuring the effect of mercury on IVF outcome would have been to measure the levels of it in the women’s blood. Women showing greater amounts in their hair, likely would have shown reduced amounts in their blood, explaining the increased success rate with IVF. They are simply more efficient at excreting mercury from their bodies.
Medical advisors have suggested that women reduce their fish consumption (three or four servings a week is associated with negative outcomes) and to avoid species of fish with high amounts of mercury, such as tuna and swordfish.
Sources:
Infertility linked to mercury in seafood, BBC News, 23rd September 2002.
Joanna Karpasea-Jones - I have been a health writer since 1997 when I published my own newsletter, SHOTS. I have written 2 books on childhood health, and write ...
