The Fundamentals of Sex

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Microplastics can lower testosterone.

Low testosterone and damaged blood vessels can reduce libido and cause erectile dysfunction.

Global sperm counts dropped 62% since 1973—a decline that parallels the rise of plastic production.

You’ve probably heard that microplastics are everywhere. They’re in the ocean, in the air, in your food, and in your water. But here’s something that might hit closer to home. They’re also inside your body and new research suggests they may be interfering with your sexual health.

This is a rapidly growing area of research and it’s raising serious questions about what everyday exposure to microplastics is doing to our sexual health. In this post, I will take a look at how microplastics can affect men’s sexual health. In the next post, we will examine how they may be affecting women’s sexual health.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, less than 5 millimeters in size, and often they are much smaller than that. They break off from plastic bottles, food packaging, and countless other products we use every day. They are even in our clothes. We inhale them, swallow them in food and water, and absorb them through our skin.

Once inside the body, they don’t just pass through. Studies have confirmed that microplastics accumulate in human organs, including the testicles.

A 2024 study found microplastics in 100% of human testicles they examined. This is important because the testes are where testosterone is produced.

What Happens When Microplastics Reach the Testes?

Testosterone is produced by specialized cells called Leydig cells. You can think of these cells as tiny testosterone factories. When microplastics infiltrate the........

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