Cell Phone Myths Explained 9
Cell phone use lowers sperm count.
Myth: Carrying a phone in your pocket and constant use can lower your sperm count (that is, if you're a guy).
True or false? True. Sorry fellas, but if you're on your phone all the time, you might have a lower sperm count or abnormal swimmers. A study at a Ohio fertility clinic tested 361 men with infertility issues and divided them based on cell phone usage. Those who used their phone more than four hours a day were found to have much lower sperm counts and higher amounts of poor quality semen. The study is being reviewed currently, as it didn't take other factors such as drug use into account, and follow-up studies will also test electromagnetic radiation on sperm cells in labs to see if they're directly affected. It will be a while before we know anything for sure, but in the meantime, you might want to keep your talk time down.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
keg @ Mar 16th 2008 12:22AM
The effect likely cuts both ways, meaning affecting both men and women, but sperm quality is more easily measured. When was the last time we read something about "poor egg quality"? The point is that if the radiation is there, both ganders and geese are getting cooked. But the fellas have continually renewed supplies, whereas the gals have only one batch per lifetime. Rather than wait for longitudinal studies, why not drastically cut the use for posterity's sake--men, six weeks before the nuptual night, and ladies, from this very moment until past child-bearing.
Kat @ Mar 18th 2008 1:17PM
To see many studies offering definitive proof about the harmfulhealth effects of cell phones, go to www.powerwatch.org.uk. There are many such sites on the web, but this is one of the best andeasiest to use. France, Germany, and England government officials have all stated that cell phones should not be used by teenagers.
Only in America are we so ignorant about the research, due to the power of the industry and their influence on the media. Please, you owe it to yourself to get the facts -- look at the studies, review the charts on industry bias in study results, read the recommendations on precautions you can take. It's about more than sperm count, folks.