Decades of careless use and improper disposal have resulted in plastic pollution accumulating almost everywhere on earth, yet the health implications of the billions of tons of plastic pollution scattered across the planet's terrestrial ecosystems are largely unknown. We show that microplastics are present in the follicular fluid of women and domestic cows. We found that the concentrations of microplastics that naturally occurred in follicular fluid were sufficient to compromise the normal functioning of both male and female bovine gametes in vitro. Proteomics analysis of oocytes further revealed how microplastic can disrupt the expression of proteins associated with normal oocyte function. Microplastics also negatively affected sperm function in vitro. Collectively, these findings demonstrate how microplastics may be contributing to the widespread declines in fertility that have been occurring over recent Anthropocene decades.

The past several decades have seen alarming declines in the reproductive health of humans, animals and plants. While humans have introduced numerous pollutants that can impair reproductive systems (such as well-documented endocrine disruptors), the potential for microplastics (MPs) to be contributing to the widespread declines in fertility is particularly noteworthy. Over the same timespan that declines in fertility began to be documented, there has been a correlated shift towards a “throw-away society” that is characterised by the excessive consumption of single-use plastic products and a concomitant accumulation of MPs pollution. Studies are showing that MPs can impair fertility, but data have been limited to rodents that were force-fed hundreds of thousands of times more plastics than they would be exposed in the environment. As a first step to link in vitro health effects with in vivo environmental exposure, we quantified microplastics in the follicular fluid of women and domestic cows. We found that the concentrations of polystyrene microplastics that naturally occurred in follicular fluid were sufficient to compromise the maturation of bovine oocytes in vitro. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that microplastics may also be contributing to the widespread declines in fertility that have been occurring over recent Anthropocene decades.

The past several decades have seen alarming declines in the reproductive health of humans, animals and plants. While humans have introduced numerous pollutants that can impair reproductive systems (such as well-documented endocrine disruptors), the potential for microplastics (MPs) to be contributing to the widespread declines in fertility is particularly noteworthy. Over the same timespan that declines in fertility began to be documented, there has been a correlated shift towards a “throw-away society” that is characterised by the excessive consumption of single-use plastic products and a concomitant accumulation of MPs pollution. Studies are showing that MPs can impair fertility, but data have been limited to rodents that were force-fed hundreds of thousands of times more plastics than they would be exposed in the environment. As a first step to link in vitro health effects with in vivo environmental exposure, we quantified microplastics in the follicular fluid of women and domestic cows. We found that the concentrations of polystyrene microplastics that naturally occurred in follicular fluid were sufficient to compromise the maturation of bovine oocytes in vitro. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that microplastics may also be contributing to the widespread declines in fertility that have been occurring over recent Anthropocene decades.