Frequent cell phone use can affect sperm count, says study

Using your cell phone many times a day can affect sperm production in men implying the lower concentration and total quantity of sperm . Seminal concentration is one of the parameters that show the reproductive potential – if there is a reduction in sperm concentration, it can impact male fertility. This finding comes from a survey carried out by University of Geneva in Switzerland, in collaboration with the Institute of Public and Tropical Health . The results were published in the journal Fertility and Sterility and raise an alert about the potential risks to male reproductive health due to the excessive use of electronic devices.

For get resultsthe researchers evaluated data from 2,886 men, who were between 18 and 22 years old and were recruited for military service between 2005 and 2018. In addition to collecting semen samples from the volunteers, they also answered a questionnaire about their lifestyle habits and health in general, in addition to behavioral issues, such as how often they use their cell phone and where they store the device when they are not using it.

The results of the study showed that the average sperm concentration and total sperm count were significantly lower in men who accessed their phones more than 20 times a day , compared to those who used the device less. This means that those who used their cell phones excessively had, respectively, 30 and 21% more risks of having sperm concentration parameters and total sperm count below the minimum normal values, which are defined by World Health Organization (WHO) .

An important fact is that the study did not find consistent associations between the use of cell phones and motility (the ability of the sperm to move until it finds the egg) or the morphology (the shape) of sperm.

“The study shows that there were cases of men with sperm count and concentration parameters well below those established by the WHO, which means they were abnormal”, says gynecologist Roberto de Azevedo Antunes, responsible for the Conjugal Infertility Outpatient Clinic at the University Hospital from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and director of the Brazilian Association of Assisted Reproduction (Sbra).

The study does not define, however, what was considered the time of use of the device. As the answers were given in a general questionnaire, each volunteer's personal perception of what is considered use could be different. “What is considered cell phone use? Reply to an email message? Look at social media? Make a call? Holding the device in your hand for more than five minutes? We do not know. But, regardless of this, the relevant point of the study is the number of volunteers and, no matter how many divergences there may be in the answers, we clearly observed an association between greater exposure to cell phones and worsening sperm parameters”, comments Antunes.

Why does it happen?

Although this study clearly demonstrates the association between the quantity of male gametes and greater use of cell phones, There is still no complete understanding of how and why this happens – it is not possible to say, for example, that cell phone use is the cause of the problem.

“One of the hypotheses would be the interference of electromagnetic waves emitted by devices in use . Even on standby, the most current smartphones are connected to applications all the time. We still do not have a complete understanding of how these waves could harm sperm production. What we know is that they can cause heating in the region where the cell phone is located and this heat could be one of the causes of damage to sperm production, as the testicles prefer to produce sperm at a lower temperature than the body temperature”, explains Daniel Suslik Zylbersztejn, urologist specializing in human reproduction at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein and coordinating physician at Fleury Fertility.

The researchers found, for example, that the men who had the lowest sperm concentration and total count were also men who smoked and drank the most, compared to the other volunteers. Drinking and smoking are risk factors, associated with bad lifestyle habits, which can impact overall health, including reproductive health. .

“This work has an interesting impact. Not all men are born with the same sperm production potential. And the study shows that they can be affected more significantly with more frequent cell phone use. In already susceptible men, with more fragile spermatogenesis, the constant use of cell phones ends up playing a more relevant role in reducing production potential”, suggests Zylbersztejn.

For Antunes, even though it is not possible to say that the cell phone's electromagnetic waves are the cause of the problem, the results serve as a warning about issues involving men's lifestyle. “Several studies show that the longer we use screens, the greater the risk of becoming overweight, maintaining unhealthy habits (such as drinking and smoking) and not exercising. This gives us a real warning, after all, a sedentary lifestyle and obesity are associated with worsening semen quality. Regardless of the technological issue, one thing leads to another and excessive cell phone use can be another risk marker for worsening reproductive health,” he says.

Most people keep their cell phones in their pants pocket

Regarding where the cell phone was kept while it was not in use, 85.7% of men reported that they put the device in their pants pocket, 4.6% left it in their jackets or elsewhere and 9.7% kept it device in a location outside the body. The good news is that the study found that semen volume, sperm motility and morphology were not associated with the position of the cell phone when it was not in use.

“The study shows that there was no difference depending on where men kept their cell phones and the worsening of sperm parameters. But that doesn't mean there's no problem with your cell phone being in your pants pocket all the time, very close to your testicular sac. From a care point of view, we ask that men not leave their cell phones in their pockets (to listen to music, for example) because the device heats up, releasing more electromagnetic waves close to the testicle and this is not appropriate. Our guidance is,Whenever possible, take your cell phone out of your pocket and place it on a table, further away from your body ”, warns Zylbersztejn.

According to the expert, there are still few studies in humans that can make this association between cell phones and sperm production because there are many confounding factors. What exists today are basically experimental studies (carried out on animals), or in vitro, using human semen.

“Some in vitro studies show that there is a decrease in motility and an increase in DNA fragmentation in these sperm when electromagnetic waves are used. The Swiss study did not demonstrate this, but it is important to remember that in vitro studies are completely different from real-life studies. Cell phones are essential, and we use them for absolutely everything: work, fun, social media and even talking on the phone. It is very difficult to isolate the unique effect of electromagnetic waves on real-life phone usage. We still need more studies to understand the real damage”, concludes the Einstein urologist.

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