Adulterated milk can cause infertility

Milk is undeniable part of our diet and most of us consume in one form or other. But the problem of adulteration of food products has multiplied, posing serious health issues. Milk and dairy products are no exception. Cattle are fed steroids and injected with hormones to boost milk production.

Oxytocin is one such drug that is being used widely. One of the side-effects of oxytocin is early onset of puberty in girls, development of breasts in men along with poor production of testosterone. Milk adulterated with oxytocin can also cause abortion or lead to a deformed foetus. It increases the risk of haemorrhage in mothers after birth and can also affect breastfeeding.

Effects on fertility
Milk is considered a rich source of calcium. However, we tend to overlook the other components in milk - hormones like prolactin, lutenising hormone (LH), oestrogen, progesterone, oxytocin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, which may cause hormonal imbalance resulting in infertility. Over 70% of the oestrogen in humans come from dairy products.

Among women, PCOS and endometriosis have become more common, which may be attributed to drinking milk containing excess oestrogen. Excess of oestrogen in men causes low sperm motility and concentration.

Most people are either intolerant to lactose or allergic to casein, which often goes unnoticed. The most common symptoms start off with fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome. Repeated exposure to such allergies sets off a whole body immune response that causes improper ovulation, delayed periods, poor egg quality and frequent miscarriages.    

Moreover, it is also noted that 70% of Indians consume milk from plastic pouches. Plastic contains BPA, which is directly linked to cause fertility issues.

(The author is IVF expert, Indira IVF Hospital)