COLORADO, USA – Male infertility continues to be a global issue, but the contributing factors remain unclear.
Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sex, affects about 20% of couples, with male infertility being a significant contributor.
Causes include endocrine disorders, genetic factors, and exposure to environmental toxins.
With increasing evidence of microplastics infiltrating various biological systems, researchers are now investigating their potential impact on reproductive health.
A recent study published in Toxicological Sciences has examined the presence of microplastics in male reproductive organs, revealing significant findings.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study on 84 healthy participants, including younger adults aged 18 to 35 and older adults aged 66 to 87.
They discovered 12 different types of microplastics in dog and human testis samples.
In dogs, higher amounts of certain microplastics correlated with reduced sperm counts and lower testis weight, suggesting a negative impact on fertility.
Dr. James A. Kashanian, director of Male Sexual Health in the Department of Urology at Weill Cornell Medicine, not involved in the current research, highlighted the importance of understanding environmental factors in male infertility.
“Higher levels of these microplastics can potentially cause harmful effects on testicular function, such as testosterone production and sperm production,” he noted.
The study identified polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as the most common microplastics in testis samples.
PE is widely used in packaging, water supply systems, and agricultural films, while PVC is prevalent in construction, medical equipment, and electronics.
Tracey Woodruff, PhD, from the University of California, San Francisco, emphasized that the ubiquity of PE makes its presence in biological systems unsurprising.
In analyzing dog tissue samples, researchers found certain microplastics associated with decreased sperm count and testis weight, though these results were statistically significant only for PVC.
