The Stork & The Mattress

Like many newlyweds, my husband and I bought a new mattress when we got married. A non-organic one. Soon after I suffered the first of three heart breaking miscarriages. The first were on Clomid. The second two with IVF.

Now. I’m not suggesting that the flame retardant saturated mattress was the only reason for my fertility issues (my life was non-organic then), but this new research does give one pause….

via SafeMama

From: HERE

“Women exposed to high levels of flame retardants take substantially longer to get pregnant, indicating for the first time that the widespread chemicals may affect human fertility, according to a study published Tuesday.”

The article goes on to explain:

“This study provides the first evidence that PBDEs may impact human fertility,” wrote the authors, led by epidemiologist Kim Harley, in the study published online inEnvironmental Health Perspectives. “If confirmed, this finding would have strong implications to women trying to conceive given that exposure to PBDEs is nearly universal in the United States and many other countries.”

Harley said “the results are surprisingly strong.”

“These findings need to be replicated, but they have important implications for researchers,” she said.

Each ten-fold increase in a woman’s blood was linked to a 30 percent decrease in her odds of getting pregnant.

Previously, laboratory tests have found altered male hormones and reduced sperm counts in animals exposed to PBDEs. But this study is the first to find reduced human fertility.”

FIVE years later (after our mattress had off-gassed), we were finally blessed, thanks to Dr. Kaplan at the Fertility Centers of Illinois, with our impossibly beautiful and stunningly healthy little boy.  Needless to say, his crib and toddler mattress, as well as his changing table pad, are all organic.

As will be our next mattress which I am getting for my birthday.

The stork hates fire retardants.

When you can, please buy an organic mattress (or, at least a topper) – and tell all your engaged friends to as well. Other mattresses aren’t worth the nightmare that is infertility….

Sleep on it.