Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Female Reproductive Health: Ovarian Function, Pregnancy Outcomes, and Placental Transfer
Kanishkaa Shah
11/08/2026
The plastic waste problem is one of the top environmental and public health issues of the 21st century, and the world produces about 460 million tonnes of plastic annually. Micro and nanoplastics are therefore a constant presence for humans in daily life via food, water, air, and consumer products, and have been found in human blood and placental tissue. Microplastic exposure causes disruption of folliculogenesis (maturation of ovarian follicles and the oocytes these follicles contain), ovarian fibrosis, hormone imbalance and impaired oocyte quality in females. More critically, microplastics cross the placental barrier and raise questions about fetal development, of which microplastics are a pressing issue. Maternal exposure is directly associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as growth restriction of the fetus and developmental abnormalities. While some of the evidence is from animal models, there is a growing number of human studies with accumulating evidence that suggest tissue bioaccumulation and association with adverse reproductive outcomes. Critical knowledge gaps include lack of longitudinal human cohort studies, lack of standardized exposure assessment protocols and lack of knowledge of chronic low-dose effects and transgenerational effects. This review stresses the urgent need for comprehensive research, exposure mitigation strategies and policy interventions for protecting female reproductive health and maternal-fetal wellbeing from this emerging environmental threat.