Mobile phones affect multiple sperm quality traits: a meta-analysis

Abstract

As mobile phone usage is growing rapidly, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis of the literature to inform scientific debates about the adverse effects of mobile phone radiation on sperm quality traits. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of the eligible published research studies on human males of reproductive age. Eleven studies were eligible for this analysis. Based on the meta-analysis, mobile phone use was significantly associated with deterioration in semen quality (Hedges's g = -0.547; 95% CI: -0.713, -0.382; p < 0.001). The traits particularly affected adversely were sperm concentration, sperm morphology, sperm motility, proportion of non-progressive motile sperm (%), proportion of slow progressive motile sperm (%), and sperm viability. Direct exposure of spermatozoa to mobile phone radiation with study designs in vitro also significantly deteriorated the sperm quality (Hedges's g = -2.233; 95% CI: -2.758, -1.708; < 0.001), by reducing straight line velocity, fast progressive p motility, Hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test score, major axis (µm), minor axis (µm), total sperm motility, perimeter (µm), area (µm ), average path velocity, curvilinear velocity, motile spermatozoa, and acrosome reacted spermatozoa (%). The strength of evidence for the different outcomes varied from very low to very high. The analysis shows that mobile phone use is possibly associated with a number of deleterious effects on the spermatozoa.

Chronic exposures and male fertility: the impacts of environment, diet, and drug use on spermatogenesis

“…EMF radiation has been associated with ultrastructural changes in rat testes (Çelik et al ., ). Four recent meta‐analyses of cell phone usage and semen quality have been conducted with varying results: two found significant decreases in sperm concentrations in humans (La Vignera et al ., ; Dama & Bhat, ), one was equivocal (Adams et al ., ), and one found significant decreases in sperm counts in rats but not in humans (Liu et al ., ). Increased exposure to EMFs (all sources, not just mobile phones) was also associated with decreased sperm concentrations in a population‐based, case–control study (Li et al ., ).…”