Warning: The use of mobile phones may threaten male fertility
A recent study has revealed that the use of mobile phones may be linked to a decrease in sperm concentration and total count in men. However, the study conducted at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) did not find any connection between device use and a decrease in sperm motility and morphology.
According to The Independent newspaper, researchers have proposed environmental factors and different lifestyles to explain the decline in sperm quality observed over the past fifty years. Yet, the role of electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones has not been definitively proven.
The research team analyzed data from 2,886 Swiss men aged between 18 and 22, recruited between 2005 and 2018 at six military recruitment centers. The researchers found that sperm concentration was higher in the group of men who did not use their phones more than once a week (56.5 million per milliliter) compared to men who used their phones more than 20 times a day (44.5 million per milliliter).
According to the study, this difference is in line with a 21% decrease in sperm concentration among frequent phone users who used their devices more than 20 times a day, compared to rare users who used their phones less than once or only once a day.
Sperm quality is determined by assessing factors such as sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology.
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that it will likely take a man more than a year to conceive a child if his sperm concentration is less than 15 million per milliliter.
