Phthalates and bisphenol do not accumulate in human follicular fluid.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if phthalates and bisphenol A accumulate in human follicular fluid after brief exposure to medical plastics during an IVF cycle

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective collection of follicular fluid from five infertile women undergoing oocyte retrieval at a University IVF laboratory and analysis of Phthalate & Bisphenol A levels.

RESULTS

All phthalate levels were detected at levels less than 15 ng/mL and Bisphenol A levels were undetectable in all five samples. The concentrations of phthalates are 200-1000 fold less than the minimum levels reported to cause reproductive toxicity in vitro to cumulus-oocyte complexes of laboratory animals.

CONCLUSIONS

In reproductive age women undergoing infertility treatments there is little transfer or accumulation of phthalates, phthalate metabolites or bisphenol A into the microenvironment of the human preovulatory oocyte and the levels are not clinically significant. Further investigation of phthalate and bisphenol A accumulation in vivo in human follicular fluid may not be productive.