Cellphone Use May Lower Sperm Counts and Impair Male Fertility
posted in - Medical Updates, - Palmdoc |That’s according to a recently published study ( Agarwal A, Fertil Steril. 2008 Jan;89(1):124-8. Epub 2007 May 4.)
This was an observational study where researchers examined the cellphone habits of 361 men undergoing infertility evaluation and analysed them according to their cellphone usage pattern.
The men were divided into four groups based on reported daily active cell phone use: no use; <2 hours; 2–4 hours; and >4 hours. Multivariate analysis revealed that mean sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology differed among the four groups, with sperm quality decreasing as cell phone usage increased.
The weakness of the study is that it was not controlled to take into account any other possible confounding factors which may influence semen quality. Nevertheless it is an interesting finding and I would be keen to know in follow-up studies if there was a difference in semen quality according to where men habitually keep their cellphones – in their pockets versus other sites like belt clips for instance!
Related MMR blogpost: Heavy mobile use damages sperm?
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February 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Seriously, how this useless study going to help in daily clinical practice? I am sure for each group of patient, there is millions of men with normal sperm count and fecundity.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
We will never know for sure until larger groups of men in the “normal” population are studied. Whatever the case, decreases in semen quality have been reported from various regions around the world including Asia and whether or not cellphones have any contribution remains to be proved or disproved but the authors findings should be impetus for further studies.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Cellphone maybe proved eventually for the effect but no study can stop human especially male from using cellphone just like smoking.
February 24th, 2008 at 5:08 am
That’s true but if subsequent studies show that where you keep the cellphone is important, then that might have a practical value. A lot of men keep their cellphones in their pants pockets and I just wonder…..