It is well known that pollution has a direct effect on infertility in both men and women. However determining the major players is not so easy.

There has been a suggestion that pesticides are linked, but until now that’s all it was. However US researchers now believe they have made a breakthrough.

What’s more the scientists think they have pinpointed not one but two products that is causing an increase in the serious disorder, endometriosis. The latter is a pre-curser to infertility.

The researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre observed 248 women diagnosed with endometriosis plus a further 538 women without the disease.

They discovered that there was a 30% – 70% increased risk of getting endometriosis when exposed to two compounds found in pesticides – beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and mirex.

Speaking with reporters, Kristen Upson one of the lead researchers said endometriosis symptoms are can have a massively negative impact on health and spill over into all areas of life such as social and work enjoyment.

She added that since the disorder seems driven by oestrogen, those chemicals that have oestrogenic properties, such as certain pesticides were being investigated.

Pesticides have been around for a long time now with many farmers actively spraying crops to try and prevent loss of yields.

However over the decades many pesticides have been withdrawn over their potential risk to human health. This however has often met with resistance from farmers and other groups who say it will set back food production.

With a growing worldwide population along with a scarcity of food in many parts of the globe use of chemicals such as pesticides have helped improve crop yields.

Yet, infertility is now becoming a major problem in many countries, particularly in the West and emerging economies such as India. As such, scientists and medical researchers are now supporting more natural ways of controlling pests which do not adversely affect human health, in particular infertility.

Dr. Upson hopes that the findings will help inform politicians who make policy decisions.

Crop production is vital but many scientists believe that pesticides are now long past their sell by date. Further, it isn’t just human health which is at risk but bees that pollinate crops are at risk of dying out as a result of the use of nicotinamides.

Infertility may not be the major problem in the end.