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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Why Is Fertility So Low in High Income Countries?
ClearWhat is driving the global decline of human fertility? Need for a multidisciplinary approach to the underlying mechanisms
This paper examines the many factors driving the worldwide drop in human fertility rates, including delayed childbearing, obesity, and environmental toxicants such as nanoplastics and air pollution that harm reproductive health. The authors warn that these trends could have devastating public health consequences for our species if the underlying causes are not addressed.
Secular changes in human reproduction and assisted reproductive technologies
This demographic review examines trends in human fertility and infertility over recent decades, noting that while child survival has improved, infertility affects about 15% of couples worldwide. The paper reviews assisted reproductive technologies as a response to this trend. While not directly about microplastics, there is growing evidence that microplastic exposure is one factor contributing to declining reproductive function in both men and women.
Microplastics May Be a Significant Cause of Male Infertility
This review examines the potential link between microplastic exposure and the decline in male fertility observed over recent decades. Researchers reviewed evidence showing that microplastics can accumulate in reproductive tissues and may damage sperm quality through oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and inflammatory responses. The study suggests that microplastics deserve serious attention as a possible contributing factor to rising male infertility rates.
Reproductive toxicity of micro‐ and nanoplastics: Insights from experimental and human studies
This review examined 40 studies on how micro- and nanoplastics may affect human reproduction, finding that these particles have been detected in breast milk, placenta, ovaries, testes, and semen. Animal studies have linked plastic particle exposure to reduced sperm quality, disrupted egg development, smaller litter sizes, and possible effects passed to future generations. The evidence suggests that microplastic exposure may be a contributing factor worth investigating as global fertility rates continue to decline.
Editorial: Lifestyle and environmental factors and human fertility
This editorial introduces research on how lifestyle and environmental factors — including microplastics — affect human fertility. Global infertility rates are rising, with evidence of declining sperm counts in men and increasing reproductive disorders in women, particularly in low- and middle-income regions.
Microplastics and Fertility
This paper reviews the growing body of evidence linking microplastic exposure to impaired human fertility, covering how microplastics and associated chemical additives can disrupt reproductive hormones and damage sperm and egg quality. It highlights the need for further research to establish dose-response relationships.
Microplastics and human fertility: A comprehensive review of their presence in human samples and reproductive implication
This review examines the growing evidence linking microplastic and nanoplastic exposure to potential effects on human fertility. Researchers noted that these tiny plastic particles have been detected in blood, placenta, and seminal fluid, suggesting continuous systemic exposure and the ability to cross key biological barriers. Animal studies indicate that microplastics may affect reproductive health through oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and tissue damage, though more standardized human research is needed.
Disruptors on Male Reproduction – Emerging Risk Factors
This review of emerging risk factors for male infertility covers endocrine-disrupting chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, radiation, and pharmaceuticals, including a section on microplastics and the plastic-associated chemicals that have been linked to hormonal disruption and reduced sperm quality. While microplastics are one of several disruptors discussed rather than the sole focus, the paper is relevant because it places microplastic exposure within the broader context of the global decline in sperm counts and male reproductive health over recent decades.
Microplastics exposure: implications for human fertility, pregnancy and child health
This review examines growing evidence that microplastics accumulate in the human placenta and may affect pregnancy outcomes and child development. Given that exposure during pregnancy can program lifelong health in offspring, the presence of these tiny plastic particles in reproductive tissues raises important concerns about fertility, pregnancy complications, and children's health.
Adverse effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the reproductive system: A comprehensive review of fertility and potential harmful interactions
This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics can harm both male and female reproductive systems by disrupting hormone signaling, damaging sperm and egg cells, and causing inflammation in reproductive tissues. Smaller nanoplastics are especially concerning because they can cross biological barriers more easily and reach the testes and ovaries. With global infertility rates rising, the authors highlight environmental plastic exposure as a factor that deserves more research attention.
Climate change, microplastics, and male infertility
This brief commentary discusses how climate change and exposure to environmental pollutants, including microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may be contributing to the documented decline in male fertility over recent decades. While the exact causes remain unknown, the authors highlight the need for more research into how these environmental factors affect reproductive health.
Exposure to micro- and nanoplastics and human reproductive outcomes: a systematic review
This systematic review summarizes existing research on whether micro and nanoplastics affect human fertility and pregnancy outcomes. While the evidence is still emerging, the review found that these particles have been detected in placenta and fetal tissue, raising important questions about potential effects on reproductive health that warrant further study.
Plastic pollution in human reproduction: should we worry?
Researchers reviewed evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can cross the placenta, enter amniotic fluid, and accumulate in reproductive tissues in both men and women. Animal and cell studies suggest these particles may reduce egg and sperm quality and harm fetal development, though most experiments use higher doses than people realistically encounter.
Exposure to microplastics and human reproductive outcomes: A systematic review
This systematic review examined evidence linking microplastic exposure to reproductive health problems in humans. While early findings raise concerns, the review emphasizes that more high-quality studies are needed to clearly establish how microplastics affect fertility and reproduction.
The effects of exposure to microplastics on female reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies to assess how microplastic exposure affects female reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes. The findings suggest that microplastic accumulation may be linked to adverse effects on fertility and pregnancy, highlighting an important and underexplored area of concern for women's health.
Toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics: invisible killers of female fertility and offspring health
This review summarizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect female fertility across multiple species, from reproductive failure to developmental problems in offspring. The tiny particles can infiltrate the body through food, air, and skin, accumulating in reproductive tissues where they disrupt hormones and damage eggs. While animal studies cannot be directly applied to humans, the consistent findings across species raise serious concerns about the potential impact of microplastic exposure on women's reproductive health.
Environmental determinants of male infertility: emerging threats and technological interventions
This review examines how environmental contaminants, including microplastics, air pollution, heavy metals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may contribute to declining male fertility. The study suggests these environmental toxins can impair sperm function through oxidative stress, hormonal imbalance, and inflammation, and highlights the need for integrating environmental exposure data into fertility assessments.
"Unseen Dangers: The Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics on Human Reproductive Health - A Narrative Review"
This review examines the effects of micro- and nanoplastics on human reproductive health, covering evidence from in vitro, animal, and epidemiological studies showing that plastic particles can disrupt hormone signaling, sperm function, ovarian development, and placental integrity.
Plastic Particles and Female Fertility: Pathways, Toxicity, and Analytical Challenges
This review examines the pathways, toxicity mechanisms, and analytical challenges associated with microplastic and nanoplastic impacts on female fertility. Evidence from animal studies indicates that these particles can accumulate in ovaries and placental tissue, inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and granulosa cell death that diminishes ovarian reserve. The study notes that microplastics have been confirmed in human placentas and umbilical cord blood, and may disrupt the hormonal axis governing reproduction.
Microplastics and endocrine disruption: Emerging risks for human fertility
This short communication reviewed emerging evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics disrupt endocrine function and reproductive health, highlighting effects on hormonal regulation, gametogenesis, and fertility outcomes. The authors called for more epidemiological studies to establish links between human microplastic exposure and fertility decline.
Unraveling the threat: Microplastics and nano-plastics' impact on reproductive viability across ecosystems
This review summarizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect reproduction across many species, from aquatic invertebrates to mammals including humans. In males, exposure leads to testicular damage, lower sperm quality, and hormone disruption; in females, it causes ovarian and uterine problems, inflammation, and reduced fertility. The evidence also shows these reproductive harms can be passed to offspring, raising serious concerns about long-term effects on human fertility.
Targeting Modifiable Risks: Molecular Mechanisms and Population Burden of Lifestyle Factors on Male Genitourinary Health
This systematic review examines how lifestyle factors, including microplastic exposure, affect male reproductive health. Research shows that microplastics, along with other environmental contaminants, may contribute to declining sperm quality and male infertility, which now affects up to 50% of infertility cases worldwide.
Impact of microplastics on female reproductive health: insights from animal and human experimental studies: a systematic review
This systematic review of 15 experimental studies found that microplastic exposure significantly impairs ovarian function, decreases fertility rates, and disrupts hormone levels in female subjects. Several studies also reported negative effects on embryo development and offspring health, though study quality varied and more rigorous research is needed to confirm mechanisms.
Understanding the impact of nanoplastics on reproductive health: Exposure pathways, mechanisms, and implications
This review summarizes existing research on how nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles smaller than one micrometer) affect reproductive health in animals and potentially humans. Studies show that nanoplastics can accumulate in reproductive organs including the placenta, and evidence from animal studies links exposure to hormone disruption, reduced fertility, and developmental problems. The authors highlight a significant knowledge gap about nanoplastic effects on human reproduction, despite growing evidence that these particles reach our reproductive systems.