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Miscarriages among female physical therapists who report using radio- and microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation.

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Ouellet-Hellstrom R, Stewart WF · 1993

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Microwave diathermy use around conception was associated with higher miscarriage odds (OR 1.28), while shortwave diathermy showed no association (OR 1.07).

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers mailed questionnaires to 42,403 physical therapists in 1989 and used a nested case-control design with 1,753 miscarriage cases matched to 1,753 controls. A pregnancy was considered exposed if the mother reported using microwave or shortwave diathermy in the six months before or during the first trimester. Microwave use was associated with increased miscarriage odds (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.02-1.59) with a dose-response trend, while shortwave diathermy was not associated (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.91-1.24).

Why This Matters

The odds ratio for microwave exposure rose to 1.59 in the highest exposure group of 20 or more exposures per month. After controlling for prior fetal loss, the microwave odds ratio was 1.26 (95% CI 1.00-1.59) and the exposure-response trend remained statistically significant. For shortwave diathermy, the highest exposure group had an odds ratio of 0.87.

Study Details

Recent studies suggest that use of shortwave diathermy is associated with an excess risk of birth defects, perinatal deaths, and late spontaneous abortions among the offspring of exposed female therapists. To assess the impact of occupational use of microwave and shortwave diathermy at the time of conception, the authors mailed questionnaires to 42,403 physical therapists in 1989.

Both occupational and reproductive histories were obtained. Exposures to shortwave and microwave dia...

Pregnancies of mothers reporting microwave use 6 months prior to the pregnancy or during the first t...

Cite This Study
Ouellet-Hellstrom R, Stewart WF (1993). Miscarriages among female physical therapists who report using radio- and microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation. Am J Epidemiol 138(10):775-786, 1993.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_1993_miscarriages_among_female_physical_2493,
  author = {Ouellet-Hellstrom R and Stewart WF},
  title = {Miscarriages among female physical therapists who report using radio- and microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation.},
  year = {1993},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8237966/},
}
PubMed: 8237966

Cited By (117 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

The researchers mailed questionnaires to 42,403 physical therapists in 1989 and used a nested case-control design with 1,753 miscarriage cases matched to 1,753 controls.
A pregnancy was considered exposed if the mother reported using microwave or shortwave diathermy anytime during the six months before the first trimester or during the first trimester.
Microwave use was associated with higher miscarriage odds (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.02-1.59) and the odds ratio increased with exposure level, reaching 1.59 for 20 or more exposures per month.
Shortwave diathermy use was not associated with miscarriage risk (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.91-1.24), and the highest exposure group had an odds ratio of 0.87.
After controlling for prior fetal loss, the microwave odds ratio was 1.26 (95% CI 1.00-1.59) and the exposure-response trend remained significant.