Fabrics Like Polyester Can Contain a Number of Chemicals That Might Impact Fertility

By Sara Novak | Discover Magazine | June 7, 2025

Read the full article by Sara Novak (Discover Magazine)

"The epidermis (skin) is the body’s largest organ, so it would make sense that toxins found in fabrics that sit on the skin’s surface could be absorbed by the skin and make their way into the bloodstream. And polyester has been considered a particularly suspect fabric because it’s made from a chemical called polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic polymer used in various products.

One study published in 1993 followed 24 dogs who were divided into two equal groups, one group wore cotton underpants and the other polyester. At the end of the study period, there was a significant decrease in sperm count and an increase in sperm abnormalities in the dogs who wore the polyester pants. But that said, this study is three decades old, done on dogs, and has had little additional research to show for it since.

So, the jury is certainly still out as to whether fabrics decrease fertility, but there are some things that we do know."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.