{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T06:10:35Z","timestamp":1790403035992,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,24]],"date-time":"2025-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740355200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Microplastics have been detected in various human organs, and studies on their impact on human health are ongoing. However, few studies have researched microplastics in the cervicovaginal area. In this study, we aimed to assess their presence in human cervicovaginal lavage fluid. This prospective study was conducted at a single tertiary medical center, enrolling 10 participants aged 27\u201349 years. Human cervicovaginal lavage fluid samples were collected from the patients by a single skilled obstetrician. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze and characterize microplastic particles detected in the samples. Ninety-one microplastic particles were detected in 10 samples. More than 50% of the microplastic particles were identified in a single patient who regularly used menstrual cups. The mean number of microplastics was 9.10 \u00b1 14.96 per 10 g sample. Most of the microplastics were &lt;50 \u03bcm in size, and polypropylene and polystyrene were the most predominant types. Raman analysis detected microplastic particles in human cervicovaginal lavage fluids, suggesting that the human cervicovaginal area is exposed to microplastics. The number of detected particles varied significantly among individuals. This study highlights the need for further research on the effects of microplastics on the female reproductive system using cervicovaginal lavage fluid.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life15030357","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T03:40:12Z","timestamp":1740454812000},"page":"357","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Identification and Characterization of Microplastics in Human Cervicovaginal Lavage Fluids Using Raman Spectroscopy: A Preliminary Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6895-3321","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yoojin","family":"Shim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, College of Medicine, 224-1 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06973, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3075-1350","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyunjin","family":"Min","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, 224-1 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06973, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"116907","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2024.116907","article-title":"Comparing the definitions of microplastics based on size range: Scientific and policy implications","volume":"207","author":"Ho","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mar. 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