1/11/2023
The world’s largest study on the topic of mobile phones and sperm quality has just been published but questions still remain unanswered.
University of Geneva (auto-translated):
Cell phone harms sperm quality
A team from UNIGE and Swiss TPH publishes a large study covering more than a decade of data on the effects of cell phones on reproductive health.
What is the impact of a mobile phone on the quality of sperm?
A team from the University of Geneva and the (Swiss TPH) has conducted a vast study on the subject, over more than a decade among more than 2800 young Swiss people. The study shows that there is a correlation between high use and a lower sperm concentration. The study also indicated that the position of the phone when not in use – for example in a trouser pocket or not – has no influence
This research, published in the journal Fertility & Sterility, was carried out by Rita Rahban and Serge Nef, respectively assistant professor and full professor, in the Department of Genetic Medicine and Development of the Faculty of Medicine and at the SCAHT – Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology, at UNIGE. With the collaboration of Martin Röösli, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology at the Swiss TPH.
This study, like most epidemiological studies investigating the effects of cell phone use on sperm quality, relied on self-reported data, which is a limitation. New research funded by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) thus began in 2023. Its aim is to precisely and directly measure exposure to electromagnetic waves, types of use – calls, web browsing, sending messages – and assess their impacts on male reproductive health. This data will be recorded via an application that each future participant will download to their smartphone. The research team is actively recruiting participants for this study.
It will also involve identifying the causal mechanisms at work. “Do the microwaves emitted by cell phones have a direct or indirect effect? Do they cause a toxic thermal increase in the testicles? Do they affect the hormonal regulation of sperm production? This remains to be discovered,” concludes Rita Rahban.
Read more at: https://www.unige.ch/medias/2023/le-telephone-portable-nuirait-la-qualite-du-sperme
The study:
‘Association between self-reported mobile phone use and the semen quality of young men’ by Rita Rahban et al. was published in Fertility & Sterility
https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(23)01875-7/fulltext
Expert reaction to study finding that mobile phone use may affect semen quality
The experts:
Professor Alison Campbell, Chief Scientific Officer, Care Fertility,
Professor Allan Pacey of Andrology at the University of Manchester
Professor Malcolm Sperrin, Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) Fellow
See their comments at: https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-study-finding-that-mobile-phone-use-may-affect-semen-quality/
An associated editorial on the topic:
Mobile cell phone use and impact on male fertility potential—an environmental pollutant that needs more research
https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(23)01941-6/fulltext