Can Pesticides Affect Pregnancy?

A recent study suggests pesticides in produce may interfere with your chances of getting pregnant. Let's explore its findings

By Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel

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A new study was released that I know a lot of you are going to be concerned about. It seems that eating fruits and vegetables that are known to have high pesticide residues could make it harder to get pregnant.

There’s bound to be a lot of hand-wringing over this in certain corners of the internet. So, I want to put these findings in perspective for those of you who are trying to conceive as well as anyone who is just generally concerned about pesticides and their effects on health.

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The study was overseen by Dr. Jorge Chavarro, an expert in reproductive medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. Some years ago, Dr. Chavarro and his colleagues published a book called the Fertility Diet, which promoted a dietary regimen that was supposed to increase your chances of getting pregnant. I reviewed the Fertility Diet in a previous podcast.

This latest study looked at several hundred women who were undergoing treatment at a fertility center in Boston. These women filled out a questionnaire about their dietary habits prior to seeking treatment. The researchers analyzed these questionnaires to see what kinds of fruits and vegetables these women were eating, and exactly how much.

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