Mobile Phone Can Reduce Sperm Count, Study Says

Recent research from Israel discovered phone users who carry their mobile phone in close proximity to the testicles are at the higher risk of lower sperm count, compared to men who don't keep mobile phones on their lap. Hence, experts are warning men about their habits if they want to improve their chances of having kids in the future.

The findings which were published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine said that mobile phones have negative impacts on sperm. And keeping it as little as an hour near testicles could "cook" the sperm -- leading to a lower sperm levels for the users.

The study was released after the scientists monitored 100 men over the course of a year. The researchers discovered that almost half of the men who kept their phones in their pockets for the duration of the day had lower sperm levels, compared to the other men.

The research also revealed that men who used mobile phones for more than two hours a day were twice as likely to have a lower sperm count, compared to those who used the said gadget for less than an hour. In addition, those who used phones while charging were twice as likely to have health problems.

The team involved in the study speculated that the heat energy coming from the phone was the culprit in the "cooking" of the sperm -- causing it to die. "We think this is being caused by a heating of the sperm from the phone and by electromagnetic activity," Professor Martha Dirnfeld, of the Technion University in Haifa said.

Thus, Professor Gedis Grudzinskas, a fertility consultant St. George's Hospital London and in Harley Street said to the Telegraph that the study serves as a warning for men to change their habits. Likewise, men should keep their phone on the chest to reduce the risk of dropping sperm count.