Accumulation of pollutants in the genital tract of sterility patients.

In order to assess the burden of environmental pollutants in the genital tract, 12 different chlorinated hydrocarbons were determined in 152 samples of follicular, seminal and cervical fluids from sterility patients in the in vitro fertilization programme at the Centre for Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University of Bonn. The lowest concentrations were found in the follicular fluids of patients who eventually became pregnant by in vitro fertilization. Higher concentrations were found in patients with sterility of unknown origin. Concentrations in the cervical secretion were up to twenty times higher than those in the seminal or follicular fluids. The results show that considerable concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons may be present in parts of the reproductive system, and that these compounds accumulate in the reception zone for spermatozoa. Certain pollutants therefore probably contribute to infertility.