Emilio Gomez-Sanchez of the Next Fertility Clinic in Murcia and his colleagues analyzed ovarian follicular fluid samples from 25 patients and semen samples from 18 patients and found microplastics in most of them. Samples were collected in sterile glass containers and frozen. Before analysis, they were incubated for 48 hours in 10% potassium hydroxide to degrade biological molecules. Microplastics were detected using direct laser infrared microscopy, and empty sample containers were also inspected for plastic contamination. The results were published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Microplastics were detected in the majority of samples. Overall, their concentrations were relatively low, with follicular fluid containing significantly higher levels than seminal fluid. Over 50 percent of follicular fluid samples contained particles of polyamide, polyurethane, and polyethylene; over 30 percent contained polytetrafluoroethylene and polyethylene terephthalate; over 20 percent contained polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polylactide; polystyrene was detected less frequently. Polytetrafluoroethylene was detected in 56 percent of seminal fluid samples, while other plastics were detected in less than 30 percent. These findings complement observations from other countries, where microplastics have been found in follicular fluid and isolated from sperm and testicular tissue, as well as from other human organs, including the brain.
