Men between the ages of 18 and 22 who check their phones more than 20 times a day are 21% more likely to have a low sperm count overall and 30% more likely to have a low sper’m concentration, a less important metric of sperm count in a millilitre of semen, according to a recent study. There was no indication in the study as to whether the men in question made phone calls, sent texts, or did both.
Researchers did notice a diminishing effect on sper’m count throughout the course of the study’s 13-year duration as phone technology advanced. It appears that 2G and 3G phones, rather than the more recent 4G and 5G models, were the most affected. The motility of the sperm, or their ability to swim to their final destination, did not decrease.
The ability of sper’m to swim, have healthy intact DNA, and be the proper shape is at least as crucial as the amount of sperm, according to Alison Campbell, chief scientific officer of Care Fertility, a network of fertility clinics. According to the research, men who are trying to conceive or who want to increase the quality of their sperm should engage in regular physical activity, consume a good diet, keep their weight in check, refrain from smoking and drink in moderation, and get medical assistance if they are having fertility issues.
Despite their widespread use, mobile phones are not without risk; their radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) can raise tissue temperature by as much as 0.5 degrees Celsius (approximately 33 degrees Fahrenheit). Because of this, they are worried about the effects on male fertility. The effects of cell phone-like RF-EMF fields on male fertility have been studied in mice and found to include sperm destruction and changes to testicular tissue. However, these findings have not been repeated in other animal research, and there are significant distinctions between human and mouse spermatogenesis.
Human observational studies have also linked heavy mobile use to a decrease in sperm viability and an effect on sperm motility. Many researchers are unconvinced because the trials were too short and too limited in scope to account for confounding variables like cigarette and alcohol use. According to the California Department of Public Health, men should keep their smartphones away from the body and head and carry the devices in a backpack or briefcase to prevent the negative effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on sperm count.
This is a large epidemiological study that seems to have been conducted quite effectively, so it moves the discussion forward a little bit. We need to take its findings with a grain of salt, as they simply reveal a correlation between mobile phone use and sperm quality. Results showed that males who used their phones one to five times a day or less than once a week had considerably greater sperm counts and concentration. Men who use their phones 20 or more times per day had the lowest sperm counts of any group studied.
The effects of cell phones were also measured over time by the researchers. Between 2005 and 2007, heavy phone use was most strongly linked to low sperm counts and diminished focus. The association lessened as technology progressed from 2G to 5G, mirroring the “corresponding decrease in the phone’s output power.”
According to Pastuszak, an infertility doctor who works daily with couples attempting to conceive, sperm count and concentration are very unimportant criteria among the interesting complexity of factors that effect infertility. Fertility potential declines may not be reflected in total sperm count, he argues; what really matters is sperm quality. Even with only a few number of viable sperm, the likelihood of conception is high if the sperm is of high quality.
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