Those chemical mixtures you rely on to help you keep your house clean could be making you less fertile.  In fact, according to Conceive Magazine, even compounds that claim to be natural might pose a risk.

There are ways to avoid substances that might harm your fertility, Conceive points out.  You just have to know what to look for.

Many cleaning products contain synthetic fragrances.  They make your clothes smell great when they’re used in laundry detergents, for example, but they’re not necessarily good for you.  They’re also long-lasting chemicals made to maintain their odor even after they’ve been through the washing machine and dryer.

There are non-toxic alternatives if you want something to smell better, especially good old fresh air and that baking soda you keep in an open box in your refrigerator.  There are also unscented products.  Air fresheners, however, should be avoided.

Products that make water surface tension break more easily are called surfactants.  Many surfactants in today’s cleaning products are petroleum-based.  They’re used mostly in laundry detergents and fabric softeners.  These chemicals have been shown in animal studies to affect sperm count and the size of testicles.  They also get into the water supply because they’re persistent.  They don’t degrade easily.

Solvents are used in many cleaners.  They often contain a chemical that has affected fertility in laboratory animals.  Chinese studies have linked the chemical to reduced fertility in women.  Look for the name EGBE or 2-butoxyethanol on the cleaner’s list of ingredients.  If it’s there, don’t use it.

What we understand about the effects of the cleaning products we use is extremely limited.  So caution is the best policy.  We don’t know much about the effects of many individual chemicals and even less about the effects on our bodies when the chemicals mix with each other and form new compounds.

The best choices are products whose makers are willing to list every ingredient that goes into their cleaning compounds.  This allows you to review even those ingredients that are not listed by law but that still might be problematic for fertility or affect other aspects of your overall health.

Another possibility is to make your own cleaners.  Conceive gives one example borrowed from Women’s Voices for the Earth at womenandenvironment.org: "Mix two cups of white vinegar and two cups of water.  Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance if you like.  To boost the cleaning power for tough jobs, microwave the mixture in a glass container until barely hot."

The fertility doctors in Kansas City’s Reproductive Resource Center are committed to helping women and couples who wish to become pregnant maintain good health.  Avoiding harmful chemicals in the environment is an important way to stay healthy.