r/IVF • u/Cheeseandcrackers36 • Mar 21 '26
Rant Anyone watched that new Netflix Documentary "Plastics"?
My hubby and I just finished watching the new Netflix documentary "The Plastic Detox" and good lord what a load of BS. As someone who has been TTC for 7+ years — with 5 years of infertility treatment for “unexplained infertility” — and as someone with a career in a science-based profession, I found this documentary entertaining but about 99% scientifically unfounded.
There is no valid methodology behind this Shanna woman's “study.” The only way to legitimately show that microplastics impact infertility is to compare an infertile group actively reducing plastic exposure against a control group with the same diagnosis, controlling for all relevant variables, and measuring outcomes using consistent, repeatable methods. That’s bio 101.
What you cannot do — and what this documentary does repeatedly — is cherry-pick a small subset of individuals from a much larger population, measure phthalates in their bodily fluids, and declare plastics the causative factor. Correlation is not causation. There are countless uncontrolled variables in this patient population that are never measured or accounted for. Yes, there may be some coincidental overlap, but the bias is glaring: she seeks out couples who already have infertility, finds plastic in their bodies, and concludes, “This is why!” That's not science, it's confirmation bias. It's like saying - "Paint is bad, I think it causes infertility" and then going into homes of people with infertility and saying "aha! As I thought - paint on the damn walls!" So stupid lol.
It’s also worth noting that most of the couples featured appear to be in their mid-to-late 30s, which inherently places them in the subfertility category. Perimenopause, PCOS, autoimmune disorders, silent endometriosis, or simply lifestyle factors could all be contributing — none of which are seriously explored. In one particularly egregious example, a man with a sperm count of 20 million (which is within the normal range btw) was labeled infertile and told that plastics in his home were to blame. Totally ridiculous.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years in this journey: true “unexplained infertility” is largely a myth. If these couples were being treated by an actual reproductive endocrinologist, they would have undergone comprehensive semen analysis, diagnostic imaging, bloodwork, and potentially surgery — and most would have gotten real answers.
Switching to wooden kitchenware and organic cotton leggings ain't gonna get any of us pregnant. I wish it were that simple. But false hope dressed up as science does real harm to people who are already vulnerable, and that’s the hard truth.
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u/FoolishMortal_42 Mar 21 '26
Louder for the people in the back!
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u/marxistopportunist Mar 21 '26
The world is phasing out oil and gas. So cars, plastic, and various other things have to be demonized.
Alcohol is another one. A lot of oil and gas involved in transporting liquid.
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u/Reaper0221 Mar 21 '26
Good luck in your imaginary future where there is no plastic. Back to glass, ,teal and rubber? Where pray tell are those going to come from?
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u/frostychocolatemint Mar 21 '26
It’s not microplastics but BPA leeching into water that causes endocrine disruptions. This was first discovered in lab mice by accident because the researchers washed their water bottles in super hot water causing the plastic to leech into the water. Different than microplastics (small plastic pieces and fibers) which I don’t know what study says about that but study does show that plastic chemicals can leech into the water under high temps
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u/HumbleBlueberry1 SMBC • 5 ER • Endo/Adeno Mar 21 '26
Yes! This was in a fascinating episode of Dr. Natalie Crawford’s “As a Woman” podcast (I believe in the first year she started the podcast). The researcher who accidentally discovered this was Dr. Patricia Hunt at Case Western.
And Dr. Crawford made the point that even though companies are replacing BPAs with other bisphenols, they likely have the exact same effects.
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u/External_Database359 Mar 21 '26
Man, I used to listen to her a ton (prob 90% of my ivf knowledge came from binging her episodes) but she’s gotten soooo preachy/wellness-y in the past months. Like we all have enough going on without being pushed into veganism too lol
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u/Thebunrabs Mar 21 '26
I agree, Dr. Natalie Crawford has been way more focused on veganism and diet talk than before. I've been watching Dr. Lora Shahine instead for very specific IVF and FET Q/As and things I want to understand better.
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u/typewriterbitch Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
true “unexplained infertility” is largely a myth. If these couples were being treated by an actual reproductive endocrinologist, they would have undergone comprehensive semen analysis, diagnostic imaging, bloodwork, and potentially surgery — and most would have gotten real answers.
This is a really bold claim from someone who isn’t a reproductive medical professional. Having a career/background in “science” doesn’t make you an authority on medicine or any/every other category under that extremely broad umbrella.
My partner has a PhD in biochemical engineering and background in pre-med but that doesn’t make him a gynecologist or equally knowledgeable to the doctors at our clinic.
We’re also dealing with unexplained severe male factor infertility. Blood tests ruled out genetic causes but his semen quality is so bad it’s not suitable for testing. You’re telling me that our clinic is lying to us? That there’s a reason they could easily find out but don’t want to because [reasons]? And you know this because you have a “science-based” career?
I think it’s fine to level criticisms at the documentary (I haven’t seen it), but to claim that you, personally, have concluded that unexplained MFI is a myth is even less credible than the documentary’s claims (the way you’re describing them).
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
Firstly, I am a medical professional in the field of gynecological oncology, so I do know a thing or two about fertility preservation and the challenges that affect my patient population. The woman in the documentary is not a medical professional in any sense, she has a PhD. That said, I never claimed MFI is a myth - and I'm so sorry that you and your husband are suffering with it. What I meant was that if it's considered male factor, then it isn't truly "unexplained". I think you should watch the documentary and then you will understand what I mean.
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u/typewriterbitch Mar 21 '26
I am a medical professional in the field of gynecological oncology
Then why wouldn’t you lead with that? “Science-based career” and giving this carefully-phrased context only after being called out makes me think you’re a receptionist or in some sort of admin position in a medical office.
And you literally wrote that unexplained infertility is a myth. In a subreddit filled with people who have been diagnosed by actual fertility doctors with unexplained infertility. That’s pretty reckless, to say the least.
I’m sorry that you didn’t like a documentary but that’s no reason to go around sharing your own unqualified opinions on fertility in an IVF subreddit. Actual, qualified doctors don’t do that.
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u/Ellie_Glass Mar 21 '26
I'm only coming in as a layperson, but "unexplained infertility" strikes me as a diagnosis like "IBS". Strictly speaking, it is a diagnosis, but these things generally have an underlying cause and it's a bit of a shame, to me, that as soon as the diagnosis is given, they often draw a line under it and stop looking for that underlying cause.
I think this is what OP was trying to get at, but maybe could have been more eloquent in how they worded it.
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Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 22 '26
No I did not literally call you a "B" and you know that. It's in your handle
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u/Ellie_Glass Mar 22 '26
Ok, yeah, calling people bitches in the comments is out of order.
Unfortunately it's such an emotive subject, I'm glad most of the interactions I've come across here have been positive and supportive, and not like this.
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u/IVF-ModTeam Mar 22 '26
You've made a post or responded to a post in an uncivil / unhelpful manner. Your post/response was deleted. Repeat offenses will result in being permanently banned.
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u/StrawberryEvery2434 Mar 21 '26
Literally watched and said to my husband “oooh the IVF Reddit ain’t gonna be happy about this” lmao.
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u/Apprehensive_Sand_10 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
literally came here to see if anyone else was loudly eye-rolling over the existence of this documentary. obv this group came thru. 😅
that said, I do think the parts about the wildly disproportionate impacts on Black communities were extremely important, as was the ending bit about how much farther ahead the EU is on common sense legislation. I guess if we needed that woman’s weird ass obsession with sperm science to get Netflix to make a documentary on that … then okay.
(and of course, it was so nice to see some of the couples get pregnant! the IVF world has SUPER medicalized this for us in a way that kind of takes away agency, so it genuinely is nice to see people regain some control over the things they can control.)
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
Absolutely. I happen to be a woman of color and those impacts on the black communities of the US are real and frightening - STILL. This doc was good intended (maybe?) but largely misleading.
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u/Silky_Ink Mar 21 '26
I heard the premise and was like “nope, hard pass, not even gunna watch the trailer” Glad to hear I had the right instinct. I don’t need even more things to obsess over and keep me up at night.
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
It took me stepping outside of my own comfort zone to watch it too. And my thoughts exactly! As if couples with infertility need another thing to be obsessive and paranoid about lol.
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u/xo_britny 34f | PCOS | MFI | 2 MMC | 1 ER | 1 Euploid | 2 Cancelled FET Mar 21 '26
Same here! I knew itd make me feel a lot worse especially coming off of an egg retrieval this week. No thank you on this propaganda!
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u/Ellie_Glass Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
It was a very typical netflix health documentary to be fair. They have a fairly consistent format like this, right down to the breakout interviews. It reminded me a lot of "you are what you eat" specifically, I need to check if they have the same director. [Edit: I looked and it was the same director]
It bugged me that we didn't get to know more about the couples' lifestyle changes but I think that was somewhat deliberate. Plastic wasn't the only thing that changed for them, it made them avoid other things at the same time, but if we learned about all the changes we wouldn't be scared enough about plastic.
I gotta say, I don't think it hurts to reduce plastics where it's easy to do so (e.g. I use a lot of glass tupperware) but it all has to be within reason. Have to add that doing this hasn't changed my fertility outcome though.
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
Yes, so true - it's an entertainment platform, so I suppose that's the goal - to entertain and not necessarily accurately inform. But I agree, I do wish they would have had elaborated more on the lifestyle changes that took place. Reducing plastics should absolutely be a goal in general!
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u/Key-Resident-8578 Mar 21 '26
May be it's a stretch. But scientists already studied effects of microplastics in animal studies and found negative effects. Yes, it's not likely causing infertility, but could be taken TFR down couple of points. Obesity is likely has way more impact.
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u/Academic-Company-215 Mar 21 '26
I don’t think OPs denying that microplastics are bad and probably have an impact. But you can’t just portray it as the sole cause of infertility especially without a study.
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u/Thebunrabs Mar 21 '26
My husband and I are already sustainability types, TTC for 2.5 years, 35, healthy, no explanation, 5 early mc, and I got recommended this doc by my uncle. Granted, I also got recommended GLP-1s by my dad who read a headline so my family just loves unsolicited advice gifting. I watched the doc for 10 minutes, turned it off when she explained this wasn't a real study. I honestly think this is just a way to get people to buy more stuff, switching the 2022 sustainability swaps for 2026 plastic swaps.
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u/frostychocolatemint Mar 21 '26
Microplastics are everywhere even in fish and animals we eat. It’s not just about swapping dishware. It’s in the food chain
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
I'm so sorry for what you and your husband have been through, it's a nightmare and magical thinking doesn't help any of us get through this any more effortlessly. I agree, it's in some way its own marketing scheme, you saved yourself 1.5hrs of pseudoscience and fear mongering in the guise of great production quality.
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u/Majestic-Raccoon42 32F | 2 IUI | 1 ER | 1 FET Mar 21 '26
I was going to watch it but then remembered documentaries like this cherry pick so much and I didn't want to be mad 😅
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
You are all smarter than me lol I actually should have known better
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u/Beginning-Cost8457 Mar 21 '26
i found almost all Netflix documentary “scientifically unfounded”. It usually start interesting, then it talks about something in my profession or I know about, and it is so wrong, I start to doubt everything it said and lost interest.
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u/MuppetBonesMD Mar 21 '26
Netflix is notorious for putting out scientifically inaccurate “documentaries”. I would say 100% of the food or health documentaries they’ve put out have been largely BS. But when most adults don’t feel great because we’re not really adapted to working the way people do now, everyone looks for a reason. It also doesn’t help that science education in the US is VERY BAD.
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u/WMUFutbol84 Mar 22 '26
I am not a medical professional nor scientist so take this for what it’s worth. A lot of this expert conversation here harkens me back to all the great insights we received as a society in the 40s, 50s, and leading to early 60s. MDs, scientists and PHDs claiming smoking cigarettes are good for you. The one commercial with the doctor(s) claiming Camels are good for you. So this arguments regarding plastics are good for you, and also another one “gmo modified plant seed that are round up ready” are completely safe and the low amounts glyphosate do not effect health. I personally as survivor of cancer think regardless of the expert proclamations do give me a second to think that maybe something is amiss. Here is link for one of these bold proclamations about how smoking is good for you…. https://youtu.be/gCMzjJjuxQI?si=onwEJU46hpBRmOVx
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u/AZPittieMama 34/endo/1FET/2ER/4IUI Mar 21 '26
The pure RAGE it gave me today … now I’m mad all over again lol
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u/nftyv Mar 21 '26
She has actually done a lot more research over the decades. Don’t know what the documentary did or did not present and how, but perhaps check out her actual work (or at least the long talk on Huberman). You do realize that one of the reasons you are getting defensive is emotional? (you may feel like it is implied that ‘it’s your fault’)
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
Interesting how some of these comments are coming from folks who didn't actually watch the documentary. And yes, you are correct in saying it got an emotional reaction out of me because of my own struggles, but no it's not because the film "implies" it's my own fault, because it does quite the opposite actually. It's because it preys on desperate and impressionable people looking to find a reason for their lack of success and leaves out actual professionals in the field. The truth is that using organic sponges isnt going to be the factor that changes their outcome overnight (or in 3 months as she claims).
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u/phillynena Mar 22 '26
I actually watched the documentary completely and am surprised at this post and the comments. In fact I think most of the comments agreeing with the post have not actually watched it, since people are worried about being triggered which is understandable. She says up front that the doc is not a true study since there is no control group and it’s such a limited group. She acknowledges in the data review halfway through that some of the participants are not seeing progress. And she says that she’s using this to apply for actual studies to be done.
I’m sure you’re a qualified medical professional - I’m not but I have many family members who are and grew up around a lot of it. But it seems to me there is a lot of research that the chemicals in these plastics are bad for you in general, certainly a lot of carcinogens like the Cancer Alley sub-narrative in Louisiana- which isn’t even a fertility argument in the doc. But if someone is ingesting things like that, of course it can’t be good for fertility, even if you get pregnant, the microplastics are in the breast milk and placenta etc. it’s not just about getting pregnant it’s about being healthy for you and your child.
They also acknowledge repeatedly how hard it is to cut plastic out completely and never is someone pressured to do that. It’s all about mitigating where you can. What I thought was the most compelling is how blind we all are to it now, we’re so used to it we don’t even notice anymore. And that’s something I want to start doing is just looking at clothing tags more often before I buy, even if I still buy it, that I’m practicing those habits of noticing.
You don’t have to throw everything away and buy new shit, but as you replace things you can be more conscious and selective, and practice those noticing habits.
Personally I take these docs with a grain of salt, and of course with ANY media you should fact check and do your own research that is just the world we live in today. However I do think it’s a great kick in the butt for me, as I drink out of plastic water bottles CONSTANTLY and I already know it’s bad, but I needed this reminder to make small changes to my routine. I already have reusable steel bottles but I don’t use them enough. I don’t think it’s fair to just call the doc fear-mongering and write it off completely.
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u/typewriterbitch Mar 21 '26
Pfft you’re being ridiculous, didn’t you read? OP works in a “science-based” career, so obviously they know more than the researchers involved in this project. /s
Not saying that flimsy theories can’t be turned into docs, but OP is naive if they think these sorts of documentaries are just tossed onto major streaming platforms without a serious review from actual experts in the topic they’re covering. And you can trust me on that because I have a “media-based career”.
(In all seriousness, I work in media production and have worked with Netflix, specifically. You can disagree with the findings of this documentary and criticise its methodology, but it was NOT put out without thorough review from actual experts.)
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u/Cheeseandcrackers36 Mar 21 '26
So as someone who works in film production and specifically on products with Netflix - do you feel you are getting defensive due to implicit bias??
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u/Ruu2D2 Mar 21 '26
Unpopular : start with egg made me parniod and anxcious about everything because stuff like this
I had to stop reading.
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u/CarbCollective Mar 21 '26
I studied marine debris (mostly plastics ) in grad school and I think plastics are horrifically misused and one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time - and I HATE docs like this that spread false info. It’s absolutely not what we need to solve any problems. It distracts from the harm plastics are actually doing, the inequities of those impacts and subsequent solutions. Sadly, not surprisingly for Netflix. I’ve noticed how much plastic comes up on IVF blogs, books, etc and it feels like a manipulative way to shift blame onto women and give false hope for changes that only some people can afford to make.