But our actual capacity to have children is in steep decline, as evidenced by a shocking 50 per cent decline in sperm count since 1970 and an equally rapid increase in age-adjusted miscarriage rates.
The most likely cause of this is endocrine disruption, which is the hijacking of our body’s hormonal system by environmental toxicants.
Infertility is beginning to rise rapidly and, combined with the increasing age at which women in developed countries are having children, is leading to greater difficulty conceiving.
The tens of thousands of artificial organic chemical compounds that we use in everyday life are undoubtedly contributing to these effects. The detrimental health effects of some, such as bisphenol A, phthalates and perfluorinated compounds, are already well known. More research is needed to discover other culprits.
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