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Reproductive Health

Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic.

No Effects Found

Lewis RC, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Meeker JD, Williams PL, Mezei G, Ford JB, Hauser R; EARTH Study Team. · 2016

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This fertility clinic study found no link between self-reported phone use and sperm quality, but contradicts multiple other studies showing EMF effects on male fertility.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied 153 men at a fertility clinic to see if mobile phone use affected sperm quality. They found no connection between how much men used their phones, where they carried them, or whether they used headsets and their semen parameters. This adds to the mixed evidence about whether cell phones impact male fertility.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic.

The relationship between mobile phone use patterns and markers of semen quality was explored in a lo...

Overall, there was no evidence for a relationship between mobile phone use and semen quality.

Cite This Study
Lewis RC, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Meeker JD, Williams PL, Mezei G, Ford JB, Hauser R; EARTH Study Team. (2016). Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic. Reprod Toxicol. 2016 Nov 9. pii: S0890-6238(16)30408-7. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.11.008.
Show BibTeX
@article{rc_2016_selfreported_mobile_phone_use_3194,
  author = {Lewis RC and Mínguez-Alarcón L and Meeker JD and Williams PL and Mezei G and Ford JB and Hauser R; EARTH Study Team.},
  title = {Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic.},
  year = {2016},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27838386/},
}
PubMed: 27838386

Cited By (15 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2016 study of 153 fertility clinic patients found no connection between where men carried their phones and semen quality. Phone location, usage frequency, and headset use showed no significant effects on sperm parameters.
Research on 153 men at fertility clinics found that headset use made no difference to semen quality. Men who used headsets had similar sperm parameters to those who didn't, suggesting headsets don't protect against potential phone effects.
A study specifically examining 153 men seeking fertility treatment found no evidence that mobile phone use affected their semen parameters. This suggests phone radiation may not be a major concern for men with existing fertility issues.
Research measuring actual phone usage patterns in 153 fertility clinic patients found no relationship between usage frequency and semen parameters. Heavy phone users had similar sperm quality to light users in this 2016 study.
The Lewis team's research on 153 fertility clinic patients found no significant relationship between self-reported mobile phone use patterns and semen quality, adding to mixed scientific evidence on phone radiation and male fertility.