Cell Phones and Sperm: Sperm Count Down, Poor Swimmers Found in Research

A study of 361 men under 40 who were being evaluated for infertility, excluding men with infertility problems among men with personal or family history, found a strong association between length of time spent on a cellphone and sperm count and quality.

Ashok Agarwal and scientists at the Clevelenad Clinic Fondation andrology lab divided the patients into four groups, based on how long they said they talked on a cellphone each day (A: no use; group B: <2 h/day; group C: 2-4 h/day; and group D: >4 h/day). Those who talked more than four hours a day had lower counts and a greater amount of  poor “swimmers” and abnormally formed sperm.

The study is preliminary and leaves many questions unanswered:

Is it cell phone heat or electromagnetics radiation that causes infertility problems.

What is the effect of distance on cell phone and infertility (phone stored in pocket or elsewhere)?

Is there a difference in effect when talk mode or standby mode are compared?

The study concludes that the use of cell phones decrease the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology.

Cellphones emit radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, which scientists say, have potential adverse effects of the waves on the brain, heart, endocrine system and DNA.

SOURCE:
Agarwal A, Deepinder F, Sharma RK, Ranga G, Li J. Effect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic: an observational study. Fertil Steril. 2008 Jan; 89(1):124-8. Epub 2007 May 4.