Cellphone use may affect men's fertility--study

The study, published in the journal 'Andrologia,' suggests that men who have been diagnosed with poor sperm quality and are planning to have children should limit their use of mobile phones.

While excessive use of cell phones appears to increase testosterone level in body, it can lead to lower sperm quality and reduced fertility.

“Our study is an eye-opener that electromagnetic waves may have an effect on fertility," the Vancouver Sun quoted Dr. Rany Shamloul, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Queen's University in Canada and a co-author of the study as saying.

“It's a red flag that more research needs to be done.”

2110 men studied
For their study, Shamloul and his colleagues followed 2,110 men taking treatment for infertility in an Austrian clinic between 1993 and 2007.

Over the study period, the researchers found a “significant difference” in the sperm count of males who used mobile phones than those who did not.

Researchers believe, electromagnetic waves can also block the conversion of normal circulating type testosterone cells to more active, potent form associated with sperm production and fertility.

“The initial sperm count decreased. Even the ability of the sperm to move decreased over time," the researchers said.

Researchers found that electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones lowered levels of luteinizing hormones, an important male reproductive hormone produced by anterior pituitary gland in brain.

“This may potentially have an effect on your ability to produce babies in the long term,” Shamlol, also a a specialist in andrology and sexual medicine at Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, said.

Study backs support
Though an in-depth research is required to establish the exact mechanism by which radiations affect male fertility, the study has drawn support from experts around the world.

Devra Davis, of the Environmental Health Trust in the United States, said, “The evidence that cellphone radiation can damage sperm and DNA is growing. Current safety standards are not sufficient.”

For instance, cell phone tests for radiation do not show how cellphones are actually used. “Phones are never tested in the pocket of the shirt or pants, which is where most people keep them,” she explained.

“If they were tested there, the phones on the market today would not meet the requirements for radiation limits.”