Microplastics in Female Reproductive and Pregnancy Organs: A Systematic Review.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Systematic review of descriptive and observational tissue-detection studies
PubMed 42195302 · doi:10.3390/life16050746
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review searching Embase and Medline, supplemented by manual searches, for English-language studies assessing the presence and distribution of microplastics in human female reproductive organs or pregnancy-related tissues.
What was found
Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Microplastics were consistently detected across follicular fluid, placental tissue, amniotic fluid, cord blood, and meconium. Quantitative microplastic concentrations or detection frequencies were not reported in the abstract, which noted substantial variability in detection driven by differing sampling protocols, analytical methods, and particle size thresholds.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that microplastics can reach both maternal reproductive tissues and fetal compartments, indicating potential in utero maternal-fetal transfer.
Limits
The review included only 11 studies with small sample sizes. Findings are constrained by high risk of cross-contamination, significant heterogeneity in analytical methods, lack of standardized detection protocols, and absence of control for confounding variables, precluding conclusions about clinical reproductive health impacts.