How Plastics & Microplastics Affect Egg Quality, Sperm Health & Fertility

If there's one thing I've learned after a decade working in fertility, it's this: the environment your egg and sperm are maturing in matters more than genetics. And yet for years, concerns about environmental toxins were brushed off as fear-based or overblown. Fast forward to now, and the science is finally catching up. Microplastics and the chemicals attached to them are showing up exactly where we don't want them—our ovaries, testes, semen, placenta, and even developing babies. In this episode, we're breaking down what microplastics actually are, how they interfere with hormone signaling, mitochondrial health, and DNA integrity, and why this matters long before pregnancy ever begins. Fertility doesn't start at a positive test—it starts months earlier during egg and sperm development. The good news? You don't need perfection or panic to make meaningful changes. Small, strategic shifts before conception can significantly reduce toxic burden and support healthier fertility outcomes. "The environment your egg and sperm mature in matters more than the genetics you were handed." - Brooke Boskovich. In This Episode, You'll Learn:  How microplastics and nanoplastics end up in reproductive tissues Why egg quality and sperm health are especially vulnerable to environmental toxins The connection between plastics, endocrine disruption, and unexplained infertility How microplastics drive oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction Why preconception—not pregnancy—is the time to reduce toxic exposure Practical, realistic ways to lower plastic exposure without going crazy How supporting detox pathways protects fertility and future pregnancies — Connect & Learn More: Support the show: Please leave me a comment or a review wherever you listen to this podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/4faTvVq Learn more about this episode: thefertilitydietitian.health Contact me: [email protected] Check out my Digital Store: thefertilitydietitian.health/shop Facebook: facebook.com/BrookeTheFertilityDietitian Instagram: instagram.com/the.fertility.dietitian YouTube: youtube.com/@TheFertilityDietitianPodcast