Sperm On Phone

Sperm On Phone
by Markham Heid Published: Aug 16, 2011
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That ringing in your pocket might turn out to be a death knell for your sperm, says a review published online in the Journal of Andrology that examined the links between cell phone radiation and your swimmers.
Researchers throughout the U.S. and the world have looked at the impact of your mobile phone’s electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation on sperm, and the results—though not yet conclusive—present a compelling case that cell phones damage sperm quality, says the Italian review.
Several studies have shown men who use cell phones have decreased sperm concentration, slower sperm, and damaged sperm, compared to guys who don’t use cell phones. In general, men who use cell phones the most are at the greatest risk.
It's where you carry your phone that matters, research shows. Just 2 months ago, South African researchers published a study that found men who carried mobile phones on their hip or in their front pants pocket had slower-swimming sperm, and less-concentrated sperm—both of which could cause fertility issues. The amount of sperm abnormalities increased among guys who spent more time tied to their phones.
In another recent study, Turkish researchers subjected human sperm in lab dishes to one hour of cell phone EMF radiation. The exposure caused sperm abnormalities, including sperm that had problems attaching to eggs.
“This should serve as a wake-up call to those men in their reproductive years who keep their cell phones in their pants pockets,” said Joel Moskowitz, Ph.D., director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Family and Community Health.
The results of animal-based experiments are just as worrisome.
One research team placed rats in specially designed Plexiglas cages with a cell phone positioned .2 inches below the bottom of the cage (and the rats’ cojones). After exposing the rats to the cell phones 6 hours a day for 18 weeks, the researchers observed a 25 percent drop in the rats’ percentage of live sperm—from 70 percent to under 45 percent. They also saw sperm “clumping,” a condition where sperm stick together, and so aren’t as likely to fertilize an egg. However, in a 2010 study where rats were exposed to radiation for only 90 minutes a day for 12 weeks, researchers didn’t detect any adverse effects on sperm development.
Despite the bulk of evidence indicating your cell phone may be a pocket rocket pointed squarely at your baby makers, Moskowitz said studies are still deemed “inconclusive” because researchers aren’t yet sure why mobile phones impact sperm.
One theory is that cell phones warm up when in use, and so may increase the temperature in the area around your crotch when stored in your pants pocket, the Italian study says. And your boys don’t respond well to heat: Your testicles hang outside of your body because your sperm needs to stay about 4 degrees cooler in order to survive.
Another hypothesis has to do with the electromagnetic frequency (EMF) emitted by your cell phone. Both cell phones and the cells in your body generate EMFs. Your phone’s high-frequency EMF radiation penetrates deep into your tissue, increasing the random molecular motion inside your body’s cells, studies say. And screwing up your body’s electromagnetic frequency at a cellular level could explain the abnormal sperm, experts posit.
So, what should you do? Take steps to protect yourself and your future selves by never carrying your phone in your pants pocket. For every millimeter you put between yourself and your phone, studies have found you decrease your body’s cell phone radiation absorption by 15 percent. And be aware that smartphones like Blackberries and iPhones may emit more radiation than simpler devices, according to recent research. Check this list to see if your phone is one of the 20 highest-radiation cell phones on the market.
Markham Heid is an experienced health reporter and writer, has contributed to outlets like TIME, Men’s Health, and Everyday Health, and has received reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Maryland, Delaware, and D.C. Press Association.
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Medically Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD on September 19, 2008
Hands-Free Calls May Expose Sperm to Radiation
Sept. 19, 2008 -- Men, beware: Using a hands-free device with a cell phone may affect your fertility if you keep your phone close to your testicles, Cleveland Clinic researchers warn in the journal Fertility and Sterility .
Men who use these hands-free devices tend to carry their cell phones in their pants pocket or clipped to their belts at the waist while in talk mode. As a result, they may be exposing their testicles to damaging radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, explains Ashok Agarwal, PhD, head of the andrology laboratory and the director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Glickman Urologoical and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
"The Bluetooth devices, which many people are using these days because of health or safety concerns, may not be always so safe. There is a downside," he says.
To arrive at their findings, researchers collected semen samples from 32 men and divided each man's sample into two parts. They placed half of the semen samples 2.5 centimeters away from a 850 MHz frequency cell phone in talk mode for one hour. Most cell phones used in the U.S. are 850-900 MHz. They chose this distance because it is the typical distance between the testes and the trouser pockets.
Previous research from the same group showed that radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones can impair sperm quality, and the new study shows why this may occur. Semen exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones had higher levels of damaging free radicals, lower sperm motility (the ability of the sperm to move and swim) and sperm viability (the percentage of live sperm), and possibly greater oxidative stress, the study shows. There were no significant differences in DNA damage between the exposed and unexposed groups.
"Our findings appear to be in line with other concerns that environmental factors such as toxins, pollutants, and materials used in farming play a role in male infertility," Agarwal says.
Further study is needed to validate the findings. "We will also test the effect [of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones] at other distances," he says. "We know the radiation impairs sperm quality at 2.5 centimeters, but we don't know if the effect will continue at 3, 4, or 5 centimeters," he says.
Future studies will determine if there is dangerous emission when the phone is in silent or standby mode.
"The emission may be smaller than when in talk mode, but could it still be harmful if it reaches the testes," he says.
Sami David, MD, a New York City-based reproductive endocrinologist, tells WebMD that he asks every male patient where they keep their cell phones and whether they use a hands-free device.
"You want it to stay far away from the testicles," he says. "I am more worried about the people that talk for three or four hours a day with the cell phone in their pocket than those who talk for shorter periods."
It's more than just cell phones. Other factors can affect male infertility , he says. "Men should not place their laptop on their laps due to the heat from the battery," he tells WebMD. "Jacuzzis, tub baths, toxins, and fumes can all play a role in male infertility and should be discussed."
Given the mechanism proposed by the new study, David says that antioxidants such as vitamins C and E may help reverse oxidative stress in sperm. He suggests all his male patients take certain antioxidants even when their sperm is normal.
Joe Farren, the assistant vice president for public affairs at CTIA, a wireless communications trade group, urges caution in interpreting the new findings, as well as other studies on how wireless phone usage affects health. "When you examine the weight of available scientific research that has been published and peer-reviewed and listen to leading health organizations around the world, you will find no association between wireless usage and adverse health effects," he tells WebMD. "We believe science has to guide this issue."
Agarwal , A. Fertility and Sterility , 2008; manuscript received ahead
of print.
Ashok Agarwal, PhD, head of the andrology laboratory, director of the Center
for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urologoical and Kidney Institute, Cleveland
Clinic.
Sami David, MD, reproductive endocrinologist, New York.
Joe Farren, assistant vice president for public affairs, CTIA.
How much do you know about conception?
© 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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Does cell phone radiation cause infertility?
It is probably no news to you that the long use of cellular or mobile phones affects sperm quality. Even though this claim may appear complicated, there is a close connection between the decline in male sperm count and increased mobile phone use.
In today’s world, mobile phones are widely spread and used by people of all age groups especially adults. It has been noticed that people spend long hours using cell phones for different purposes which may have a serious negative effect in the long run. Findings from various studies are pointing to a health concern specific to men – sperm damage.
The report Sound Health and Lasting Wealth got from International Journal of Health Science , showed that men who talk on their mobile phones for an hour a day or while charging it ‘are more likely to have low sperm quality’.
Another study by researchers from The Cleveland Clinic reported that men who used their mobile phones the most (more than four hours a day) had poorer sperm quality than those who used them the least. The research result, however, did not establish a strong link between cell phone use and semen quality.
More studies in 2016 by PubMed researchers found that the daily duration of talking on the cell phone was significantly associated with decreased semen parameters, including sperm concentration, semen volume, and total sperm count. It concluded that certain aspects of cell phone use may negatively affect sperm quality in men, thus impairing male fertility.
In addition, male infertility can be a result of carrying a cell phone in the pocket or holding it close to the reproductive organs. The radiation that emits from the mobile phone in your pocket can kill sperm, cause infertility and lower testosterone levels.
As a result, resident fertility experts have advised men to be conscious of their well-being and try to stop being addicted to their phones.
You can avoid having your sperm count reduced or dropping so much with the following tips
If you are a male and using a cell phone, the following factors can increase your risk of producing low or weak sperm count;
Findings from recent studies continue to show adverse effects on human sperms from mobile phone exposure. The body of evidence implies that men should not carry their mobile phones in the pockets close to their reproductive organs. Carrying the phone in your shirt pocket instead is better and safe.

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1 Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hatherly Laboratories, Prince of Wales Road, University of Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK.

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