Are microplastics causing the fertility crisis?

Italy is battling one of the worst fertility crises in Europe. Last year, the number of babies born dropped by 2.6 per cent—marking the sixteenth consecutive year of decline. Births have now fallen to the lowest level since the country's unification in 1861.

Much has been said of the potential causes: the so-called 'brain drain', stagnant economic growth, and a lack of reproductive incentives, to name a few.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made tackling the demographic crisis one of her government's top priorities. Her administration has rolled out tax breaks for mothers with at least two children and increased both maternity and paternity leave allowances.

But in the picturesque coastal town of Salerno, a different picture may be emerging.

At a local fertility clinic, 18 women sought assisted reproductive treatment. Researchers there took the unusual step of analysing their ovarian follicular fluid for the presence of microplastics.

In 14 of the women, microplastics were found. 

Ovarian follicular fluid plays a vital role in the reproductive process. It surrounds and nourishes developing eggs, helping regulate their maturation and readiness for fertilisation.

Luigi Montano, the lead author of the study, described the results as "very alarming." Published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, his paper concludes that the findings should serve as an "important warning signal about the invasiveness of these emerging contaminants in the female reproductive system."

The paper only highlights a "possible presence of correlation between the concentration of microplastics" and women's reproductive health—so further research is definitely needed.

But it's already well-established that microplastics often carry harmful compounds such as PFAS, bisphenol, and phthalates—chemicals that have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption.

Montano, whose study is part of a wider research project on human fertility, suspects microplastics may also be contributing to declining sperm counts.

Xiaozhong Yu, a microplastics researcher at the University of New Mexico, echoed the importance of the findings in his response to the study. "This is the work in the next phase—we need to quantify," he said.

The fertility crisis is a hot topic in both Italian, and indeed global, politics. Yet much of the discourse centres around economic and social causes.

But there's growing evidence that Italy's fertility crisis exists within a much larger, global backdrop. A recent World Health Organization report estimates that 17.5 per cent of couples worldwide experience infertility. 

Could the problem lie even deeper?