Birth Control Pills Disrupts Fish Gender Development

(MENAFN) A recent investigation revealed that hormones present in birth control pills can induce gender confusion in fish, according to a report by a Norwegian broadcaster on Monday.

The research, published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, highlights that hormones like those found in birth control pills and estrogen supplements are capable of causing confusion in the sexual development of fish and other animals.

These hormones have been shown to interfere with the natural growth processes in fish, prompting them to exhibit sexual traits typical of the opposite gender or to experience puberty prematurely.

Such disturbances upset reproductive patterns and can destabilize entire ecosystems.

Ida Beathe Overjordet, a researcher who has studied the Arctic Ocean and other locations, explained, "For aquatic life, residues of antibiotics and hormones are the most harmful."

Beyond hormonal interference, Overjordet emphasized that antibiotic residues in marine environments can promote the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This poses a threat not only to marine organisms but also to human health.

She told the broadcaster, “If you get a wound while swimming and resistant bacteria enter the wound, the treatment may not work.”

Overjordet also stressed that pollution from pharmaceuticals is a worldwide problem affecting aquatic ecosystems everywhere.

She shared that drug residues have been detected in water bodies globally, including isolated ocean areas far removed from human settlements.

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