Is Your Makeup Harming Your Fertility?化妆品危害生育吗？

We are all aware of the nasties in our food and environment that can have an impact on fertility. Health speaks with Dr. Pankaj Shrivastav， a pioneer in the field of Reproductive Medi-cine， to learn more about the potential harm that these seemingly innocuous products can have on our fertility.

众所周知，食物和环境中的有害物质会影响生育能力。《健康》杂志采访了生殖医学领域的先驱潘卡杰·什里瓦斯塔夫博士，以了解看似无害的化妆品可能会对生育能力造成什么危害。

Endocrine disruptor chemicals1

内分泌干扰物

It is no secret that cosmetics and beauty products are full of chemicals. Studies show that products such as nail polish， perfumes， antibacterial soaps， antiaging creams， and more， have high chemical content that contains endocrine disruptor chemicals， tells Dr. Shrivastav. “One such group of chemicals that are phthalates， a group of non-persistent chemicals that are used in a variety of consumer products across the globe，” he explains. “The high molecular weight Bis （2-ethylhexyl） phthalate or DEHP is used to add flexibility to polyvinyl chloride and other plastics products. Low molecular weight phthalates such as Di-butyl phthalate （DBP） and diethyl phthalate （DEP） are used as solvents in personal care products to hold color and scent.” Women of reproductive age have a specific exposure risk profile to DBP which is commonly used in nail polishes.

化妆品和美容产品含有很多化学物质，这已经不是什么秘密。什里瓦斯塔夫博士说，有研究表明指甲油、香水、抗菌肥皂、抗衰老面霜等产品中的化学成分含量很高，其中就有内分泌干扰物。他解释说：“邻苯二甲酸盐就是一类内分泌干扰物。这类化学物质不稳定，但在全球各种消费品中都有应用。高分子量的邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（或称DEHP）可用于增加聚氯乙烯等塑料制品的柔韧性。低分子量的邻苯二甲酸盐，比如邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）和邻苯二甲酸二乙酯（DEP），则用作个人护理产品的溶剂，以保持颜色和气味。”前者通常用于指甲油，育龄妇女与其接触是有风险的。

The impact

负面影响

Globally， more than 18 billion pounds of phthalates are used each year， primarily as plasticizers to create flexibility in plastics. According to Dr. Shrivastav， these chemicals can be found in cosmetic products such as lotions， perfumes， and nail polishes. He elaborates， “Select phthalate metabolites have been associated with decreased sperm concentration and motility， and increased sperm DNA damage. Interestingly， phthalates have also been demonstrated to reduce fertility with decreased pregnancy rates， increased miscarriages， and other gestational complications.” Moreover， it has been demonstrated that these plasticizers negatively modulate oocyte growth， ovulation， and embryonic development， leading to impaired ovarian function. Interference with ovarian steroid synthesis and metabolism could partially explain these effects.

全球每年使用超过180亿磅的邻苯二甲酸盐，主要用作增塑剂，以增强塑料的柔韧性。根据什里瓦斯塔夫博士的说法，邻苯二甲酸盐可以在乳液、香水和指甲油等化妆品中找到。他详细阐述道：“邻苯二甲酸盐的部分代谢产物与精子浓度和活力降低、精子DNA损伤增加有关。值得一提的是，邻苯二甲酸盐经证实还会降低受孕率，提高流产以及其他妊娠期并发症的发生率，最终导致生育率降低。”此外，已有证据表明这类增塑剂会对卵母细胞生长、排卵和胚胎发育产生负面影响，进而导致卵巢功能受损。产生这一系列负面影响的部分原因在于卵巢类固醇的合成和代谢受到干扰。

Awareness is key

提高意识是关键

So what do we do？ How do we even begin to protect ourselves and our future generations from items that have become an intrinsic part of daily use and selfcare？ “The first step is always awareness，” says Dr. Shrivastav. “This is why scientific research and development is so vital and it is imperative that we as med-ical physicians take this kind of know-ledge to the public and make them aware of potential environmental dangers.” He advises that when it comes to plastic， avoid their use as much as possible. When it comes to cosmetics， flip the label and read the ingredients. When you see phthalate listed as an ingredient—don’t buy it. There are many certified organic products and companies available; however， it is imperative to do your research before you make your purchase.

那么我们该怎么做？有些化妆品已成日常必备和个人护理标配，我们要从何开始保护自己和后代免受其害？什里瓦斯塔夫博士说：“第一步始终是提高意识。这就是为什么科学研发如此重要。作为医生，我们必须向公众传播这类知识，让他们意识到潜在的环境危险。”说到塑料制品，他建议尽可能避免使用。至于化妆品，要翻看标签上的成分表。如果看到表中列有邻苯二甲酸盐，那就不要购买。市面上有许多经过认证的有机产品和品牌可供选择，但购买之前，务必细致研究。

（译者单位：上海电子信息职业技术学院）

1内分泌干扰物是环境中存在的能干扰人类或动物内分泌系统诸环节并导致异常效应的物质，并不直接作为有毒物质给生物体带来异常影响，而是类似雌激素对生物体起作用，通过摄入、积累等各种途径，即使摄入量极少，也能导致生物体内分泌失衡或出现种种异常现象。这类物质会导致动物体和人体生殖器障碍、行为异常、生殖能力下降、幼体死亡甚至灭绝。