Pesticides disrupt endocrine function, potentially interfering with reproductive health. A 2018 study in JAMA Internal Medicine investigated the impact of pesticide exposure on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization and sperm injection.

The study included 325 women that completed diet assessments and underwent 541 ART cycles over 10 years. Researchers discovered that women consuming more than 2.3 servings daily of high-pesticide-residue vegetables had an 18 percent lower chance of clinical pregnancy and a 26 percent lower chance of live birth compared to those eating fewer than one serving daily of the same vegetables.

Remarkably, women consuming more high-pesticide-residue vegetables had lower pregnancy and live birth chances than those eating fewer servings of any vegetables, highlighting the need to consider pesticide content in foods, not just their nutritional value, when trying to conceive.