Assessing Blood Microplastics and their Impact on Reproductive Hormones in Patients with Uterine Fibroids at the Catholic Hospital, Battor.

Abstract

Background: Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive tract, but their exact cause remains unclear. Microplastics (MPs), emerging environmental pollutants with endocrine-disrupting and pro-inflammatory effects, have been detected in human tissues, yet their role in fibroid biology especially among African women remains poorly understood. Aim: This study examined the relationship between blood microplastics, reproductive hormones, and systemic inflammation in women with uterine fibroids at the Catholic Hospital, Battor. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 76 women at the Catholic Hospital, Battor. Peripheral blood was digested and examined for microplastics (MPs) using stereomicroscopy. Serum estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and hematological indices were measured. Derived markers included the albuminglobulin ratio (A/G), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), E2/P4 ratio, and a novel Hormone-Inflammatory Composite Index (HICI). Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests, Spearman correlation, chi-square, and multinomial logistic regression at a 5% significance level. Results: Blood MPs averaged 1.36 ± 1.96 particles/mL, all of fibrous type. MPs correlated positively with IL-6 (ρ=0.37, p=0.001), and HICI (ρ=0.64, p<0.001). Frequent microwaving of meals in plastic bowls was significantly associated with fibroid severity (p=0.003). Fibroid size showed a positive correlation with SII (ρ=0.32, p=0.004) but was not independently predicted by MPs (p = 0.843), IL-6 (p = 0.267), HICI, or A/G ratio (p>0.05) in regression analysis (R²=0.258, p=0.447). Conclusion: This study presents the first evidence of circulating MPs in the blood of Ghanaian women with uterine fibroids and their association with hormonal and inflammatory indices. The findings suggest that MPs indirectly promote systemic inflammation, hormonal imbalance and fibroid growth through an eco-inflammatory-hormonal pathway rather than a direct effect on enlargement.