How Microplastics May Be Threatening Women's Sexual Health

Here's a fact that might shock you. A 2021 study found you may be ingesting up to 5 grams of plastic every week. That's roughly equal to the weight of a plastic credit card. It's in your bottled water, your seafood, your table salt, and even the air you breathe. And now scientists are finding plastics inside the female reproductive system.

Microplastics are produced by the breakdown of larger plastic items such as water bottles, food storage containers, and store receipts. We've known for some time that they've infiltrated our oceans and our food supply. What's alarming is where they travel once they’re inside us.

They've Found Plastic Inside Women's Eggs

Microplastics have been found in ovarian follicular fluid. This is the liquid that surrounds a woman’s eggs as they grow and mature inside the ovaries. Even worse, the level of microplastics average over 2,000 particles per milliliter of fluid. That’s a lot of plastic, right next to their eggs.

The study that reported this also found a connection between higher microplastic levels and elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH is a hormone produced in the brain that tells the ovaries to grow and release eggs. When FSH is elevated, it usually means the ovaries are struggling to produce eggs and the body is working harder to compensate.

And follicular fluid isn't the only place microplastics are showing up. The lining of the uterus has also been found to be contaminated with multiple types of plastics, including polyethylene (the plastic in grocery bags) and polystyrene (Styrofoam). Microplastics can enter the uterus through the bloodstream or directly through the vaginal canal.

Testosterone: Women Need It Too

When most people think of testosterone, they think of men. But testosterone is an essential hormone for women too, and microplastics appear to interfere with it.

Women produce testosterone in the ovaries, the adrenal glands, and tissues like fat, skin, and the liver. Why does this matter for your sexual health? Because testosterone plays an important role in female libido. Androgens, including testosterone, play an important role in sexual motivation in women. When testosterone levels drop (as they do naturally with age, or following surgical removal of the ovaries), many women experience a persistent loss of interest in sex. Testosterone’s role in female libido is now so well-established that the Global Consensus Position Statement on the use of Testosterone Therapy for Women recommends testosterone therapy for postmenopausal women with a reduction in libido.

Testosterone also helps maintain healthy vaginal tissue, lubrication, pelvic floor muscles, and the ability to achieve arousal and orgasm. It’s not just about desire. It’s about the entire physical architecture of healthy sexual functioning in women.

How Microplastics Attack Women’s Testosterone

Here’s where things get especially concerning. Microplastics appear to disrupt the process of testosterone production in women at multiple points.

First, they damage the cells that make testosterone. Microplastics can kill ovarian cells that produce hormones, including testosterone. When these cells die, hormone production falls.

Second, microplastics suppress the genes that control testosterone production. BPA, which is a chemical that leaches from microplastics, disrupts genes the body needs to make testosterone. This results in reduced levels of testosterone.

Third, they disrupt the signal from the brain to the ovaries to produce testosterone. Testosterone production in the ovaries is triggered by a hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH) that is released from the brain. Exposure to microplastics caused significant reductions in both testosterone and LH levels, suggesting that microplastics are interfering with the brain’s signal to the ovaries to make testosterone.

Fourth, microplastics alter the estrogen-to-testosterone balance. Microplastic exposure decreases the estradiol-to-testosterone ratio, suggesting that the entire hormone balance is being thrown off.

The Hormone Hijacking Problem

Testosterone is just one piece where hormonal disruption occurs. Microplastics are loaded with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like phthalates, bisphenols, and PFAS, that leak out once they are inside the body and mimic or block your natural hormones. These microplastics can then interfere with estrogen and progesterone balance, ovarian function, and fertility.

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But wait—it gets worse. Microplastic exposure has also been linked to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-like changes in animals, including disrupted hormone levels and ovarian scarring. PCOS affects up to 13% of women of reproductive age worldwide, and researchers are increasingly asking whether our plastic-saturated environment is making it worse.

There’s also growing concern about endometriosis, a painful condition where uterine tissue grows outside the uterus. Microplastics appear to trigger inflammation in endometrial cells, which potentially contributes to endometriosis.

Beyond the reproductive system, evidence suggests microplastics may contribute to obesity and can even cross the placental barrier, exposing a developing fetus before it ever takes its first breath.

A review published last year analyzed 15 studies and concluded that microplastic exposure significantly disrupts ovarian function, decreases fertility rates, and throws hormone levels out of balance. Harvard’s Mahalingaiah Lab is actively tracking these connections, noting that microplastics are now being studied as contributors to PCOS, menstrual irregularities, and other fertility challenges. This is no longer fringe science. It's a rapidly growing body of evidence that needs to be studied.

What Can You Do?

The science is still developing, and we don't yet have definitive proof that microplastics cause reproductive diseases in women. But as the evidence continues to grow, it makes sense to take some proactive steps. Here are some things you can do:

• Switch from plastic water bottles to glass or stainless steel.
• Filter your tap water with a reverse osmosis filter.
• Don’t heat food in plastic containers because heat accelerates the leaching of plastics.
• Avoid ultra-processed foods packaged in plastic.

These steps won't eliminate microplastics from your body, but they can significantly reduce your exposure.

The Bottom Line

We built a world filled with plastics to make our lives easier, and now those plastics are affecting us in ways we're only beginning to understand. For women, the reproductive system appears to be a particularly vulnerable target. The good news is that there are steps you can take to protect your health. And now is the time to start.