Cell phone in trouser pocket may reduce sperm quality

Date: Jun-11-2014Around 14% of couples in high and middle income countries have difficulty conceiving,

and several countries are seeing unexplained declines in semen quality. Now a new review of

published evidence suggests one explanation could be men carrying their cell phones in their

trouser pockets.

Men may not realize it, but they could inadvertently be reducing their fertility through

exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR), suggest researchers from the

University of Exeter in the UK, who report their findings in the journal Environment

International.

Led by Dr. Fiona Mathews, senior lecturer in mammalian biology and program director for

biosciences and animal behavior at Exeter, the team carried out a systematic review of 10

studies that had measured exposure to cell phone RF-EMR and had tested semen samples.

Altogether the pooled data covered results from nearly 1,500 semen samples obtained from men

attending fertility clinics and research centers.

The researchers analyzed three measures of sperm quality: motility (the ability of sperm to

move properly towards an egg), viability (the proportion of live sperm) and concentration (the

number of sperm per unit of semen).

Sperm from control groups showed 50-85% motility. But this fell by an average of 8%

in samples where there had been exposure to cell phones, noted the researchers, who found similar

effects for sperm viability. However, the results for sperm concentration were less clear.

"Given the enormous scale of mobile phone use around the world, the potential role of this

environmental exposure needs to be clarified," says Dr. Mathews.

Findings could be important for men on borderline of infertility

She adds that the findings "strongly suggest" exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic

radiation from carrying cell phones in trouser pockets has a negative effect on sperm quality, and

that:

Sperm motility fell by an average of 8% in samples where there had been exposure to cell phones.

"This could be particularly important for men already on the borderline of infertility, and

further research is required to determine the full clinical implications for the general

population."

The researchers note that the results are consistent across studies that tested the effects in

the lab under controlled conditions (in vitro studies) and studies conducted on men in

the general population (in vivo).

They conclude that evidence from further long-term studies, "using standardized levels and

periods of exposure, ideally a randomized controlled trial in the general population, is needed to

assess the importance of mobile phone exposure to public health."

Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned of a study that found a link between being stressed and reduced semen quality in

men. While that study did not investigate the underlying reasons, the researchers speculated

one reason could be that stress activates the release of glucocorticoids - hormones that influence carbohydrate, fat and

protein metabolism - which in turn could reduce testosterone levels and sperm production.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.