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Reproductive Health

Gender ratio of offspring and exposure to shortwave radiation among female physiotherapists.

No Effects Found

Guberan E, Campana A, Faval P, Guberan M, Sweetnam PM, Tuyn JW, Usel M, · 1994

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Swiss study found no effect of shortwave radiation on baby gender ratios, contradicting earlier Danish research and highlighting inconsistent EMF pregnancy findings.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swiss researchers studied whether shortwave radiation exposure during pregnancy affects the gender ratio of babies born to female physiotherapists, following up on a Danish study that found fewer male births. They surveyed 2,846 Swiss physiotherapists about their radiation exposure and children's gender, analyzing 1,781 pregnancies. The study found no difference in gender ratios between exposed and unexposed mothers, contradicting the earlier Danish findings.

Study Details

The goal of this study was to investigate whether the deficit of male births found among the offspring of Danish physiotherapists exposed to shortwave radiation during the first month of their pregnancy could be confirmed among the offspring of physiotherapists from Switzerland.

A self-administrated questionnaire was mailed (two mailings) to all of the 2846 female members of th...

The gender ratio (the number of males per number of females x 100) was 107 with a 95% confidence int...

No atypical gender ratio was found for the children of female physiotherapists from Switzerland who had been exposed to shortwave radiation at the beginning of pregnancy. The findings of the Danish study could not be confirmed.

Cite This Study
Guberan E, Campana A, Faval P, Guberan M, Sweetnam PM, Tuyn JW, Usel M, (1994). Gender ratio of offspring and exposure to shortwave radiation among female physiotherapists. Scand J Work Environ Health 20(5):345-348, 1994.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_1994_gender_ratio_of_offspring_3049,
  author = {Guberan E and Campana A and Faval P and Guberan M and Sweetnam PM and Tuyn JW and Usel M and},
  title = {Gender ratio of offspring and exposure to shortwave radiation among female physiotherapists.},
  year = {1994},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7863298/},
}
PubMed: 7863298

Cited By (49 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 1994 Swiss study of 2,846 female physiotherapists found no evidence that shortwave radiation exposure during pregnancy affects baby gender ratios. The research analyzed 1,781 pregnancies and found identical male-to-female birth ratios whether mothers were exposed to shortwave radiation or not.
Swiss researchers found no difference in gender ratios between EMF-exposed and unexposed pregnancies among physiotherapists. The study reported 107 males per 100 females in exposed pregnancies versus 101 males per 100 females in unexposed pregnancies, showing no statistically significant difference.
A comprehensive study of Swiss physiotherapists found no evidence that occupational shortwave radiation exposure during pregnancy affects birth outcomes. Neither gender ratios nor birth weights showed any relationship to shortwave radiation exposure, even with increasing intensity or duration of exposure.
While a Danish study suggested this possibility, Swiss researchers could not confirm these findings. Their larger study of 2,846 physiotherapists found normal gender ratios regardless of shortwave radiation exposure during pregnancy, with no trend related to exposure intensity or duration.
Research on Swiss physiotherapists found no increased pregnancy risks from shortwave radiation equipment. The study showed no effects on baby gender ratios or birth weights, even among mothers with the highest exposure levels during early pregnancy.