Perfume

groovylocks

So this is going to sound really weird but I am a HUGE scent lover. Not just a scent lover, a very particular scent lover. I wear Chanel which is filled with pheromones, ambergris, undertones, notes and all kinds of things like that. 

Today my friend shared this with me: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2656106/Pregnant-women-advised-to-stop-wearing-perfumes-for-sake-of-babies-health.html

Anybody hear anything about this? I always take stuff like this as fear mongering - find two cases where this is true and suddenly the media wants you to be aware that it's true for everybody on earth, that sort of thing. But at the same time, I take it seriously until I get more information about it. I don't know the sex of our baby yet but i DO strongly suspect a boy and have since the beginning. I realize this doesn't count for much but the likelihood of it being a boy is 50% regardless of what i suspect. (Reading a lot of Schrodinger lately - calling the kid the Cat in the Box)

Thoughts? Additional research i should see that maybe I haven't found?

KateLouise

I love wearing perfume as well, however I am aware that perfume has a lot of chemicals in it, so I do try and use it sparingly.

Last year a favourite perfume of mine started triggering migraines, so that started me on cutting back on perfume.

If you do a bit of googling you can find articles about the chemicals in perfume, but it's a little harder to find articles from reputable sources with good solid science.

On balance I always think it's best practice to avoid spraying unnecessary chemicals directly onto my skin, but I'm also a believer in all things in moderation.

groovylocks

The lady at the perfume counter also wears Chanel and she said she always wore perfume with all four of her kids and they were, and are, fine. She DID say that I should stick to "designer" scents as they are less abrasive and tend not to react harshly with skin chemistry, contain less artificial and more real, etc... 

She might have been trying to make some extra $$ off of me

I tend to agree with you on chemicals and I have cut back even more on my dose of perfume. I tend to spray on my clothing instead of my skin, not sure if that makes a difference. 

miaccino80

I would say wear it on your clothes and not your skin

dramaphile

I'm impressed you can stand the smells! My nose is so sensitive in pregnancy that even my Husband's aftershave bugs me now.

queenwog

This sounds like one of those cases where I can't help but wonder, "yes, but how do you REALLY know?" How do you positively draw correlation between fragrance and something that your child may not notice or be affected by until later in life? How can anyone in the scientific community say with even remote certainty that someone's cancer later in life may have been caused by his/her mother wearing perfume while she was pregnant? Seems like a stretch; I'll keep wearing my Ralph Lauren perfume.

groovylocks

dramaphile said:

I'm impressed you can stand the smells! My nose is so sensitive in pregnancy that even my Husband's aftershave bugs me now.

Perfume is one of the few smells I CAN stand Non-food smells don't seem to bother me much

groovylocks

queenwog said:

This sounds like one of those cases where I can't help but wonder, "yes, but how do you REALLY know?" How do you positively draw correlation between fragrance and something that your child may not notice or be affected by until later in life? How can anyone in the scientific community say with even remote certainty that someone's cancer later in life may have been caused by his/her mother wearing perfume while she was pregnant? Seems like a stretch; I'll keep wearing my Ralph Lauren perfume.

As I likely will do too. I am suspicious of anybody that says that any amount of anything is deadly. I'm known for that around here. 

But i thought it was an interesting thing... wondered if anybody had anything to add.

amberrmariee20

Wow ! Never would of even thought of it. I wear it on occasion to go out and about, my favourite is Calvin Klein one shock, I'm obsessed. I was always cautious when pregnant with stuff that goes on my body but never would of thought of perfume !

groovylocks

Things like this are not to be blindly believed but just meant for discussion and to be taken with some research and thought. 

Don't believe 100% everything you read without asking a lot of questions. 

reware

Hmm, glad you posted even if I'll take w/ a small grain of salt... Think I'm in a similar situ where one of my perfumes (hermes voyager) is the only thing I can rely on to get me thru the daily assault of this hot city on my sensitive nose. My MS is long gone but people's BO and sometimes car/boat exhaust will turn me into a wretching mess - my citrus elbow is the only way to break the heaving fit once it starts.

Guess I'll start being super dramatic and spraying a silk scarf or hanky

feministmom

If you must wear perfume try switching to one that is organic and chemical free.

Here some options: https://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/organic-beauty/12-companies-make-luxurious-all-natural-perfumes/#