Browse 3,138 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from the BioInitiative Report database.
Showing 361 studies in Reproductive Health
Bin-Meferij MM, El-Kott AF · 2015
Male rats exposed to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily showed damaged sperm quality, reduced sperm count, and abnormal testicular tissue after seven days. This research suggests that cell phone radiation may harm male fertility in mammals.
Wang D et al. · 2015
Researchers exposed sperm samples from 97 healthy men to cell phone radiation (1950 MHz frequency) for 3 hours at levels similar to what phones emit during calls. The radiation significantly reduced sperm movement and survival rates while increasing cell death and structural defects in sperm heads. This suggests that cell phone radiation can directly damage sperm quality, which could impact male fertility.
Liu Q, Si T, Xu X, Liang F, Wang L, Pan S. · 2015
Researchers exposed male rats to 900 MHz cell phone radiation for two hours daily over 50 days. Sperm cell death increased 91% compared to unexposed rats, with radiation triggering cellular damage through increased free radicals and decreased antioxidant defenses, demonstrating clear reproductive harm.
Duan W et al. · 2015
Researchers exposed mouse reproductive cells to electromagnetic fields from power lines and cell phones to compare DNA damage. Both types caused genetic damage through different mechanisms - power line fields broke DNA strands while cell phone radiation caused oxidative damage to DNA bases.
Zhang Y, Li Z, Gao Y, Zhang C. · 2015
Researchers exposed pregnant mice to microwave radiation throughout pregnancy and tested their offspring's behavior. They found that prenatal microwave exposure increased anxiety-like behaviors in both male and female offspring, but only impaired learning and memory in males. This study provides the first evidence that microwave radiation can cause gender-specific developmental effects on the brain.
Shirai T et al. · 2014
Japanese researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (2.14 GHz W-CDMA signals) for 20 hours daily across three generations to see if it affected brain development and behavior. They found no abnormalities in brain function, behavior, or general health in any generation of rats, even with continuous exposure from pregnancy through adulthood. The study suggests that this type of cell phone radiation at these exposure levels does not cause harmful effects that pass from parents to offspring.
Parodi S et al. · 2014
Italian researchers studied 153 children with neuroblastoma (a childhood cancer) and 1044 healthy children to identify risk factors. They measured extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) in homes and found no association between magnetic field exposure and neuroblastoma risk. However, they did find increased cancer risk linked to maternal exposure to hair dyes and workplace chemicals during pregnancy.
Shirai T et al. · 2014
Japanese researchers exposed three generations of rats to cell phone signals (2.14 GHz W-CDMA) for 20 hours daily, testing brain function and development across multiple generations. They found no adverse effects on brain function, behavior, or development in any of the three generations studied. This comprehensive multigenerational study suggests that chronic exposure to these specific cell phone frequencies at the tested levels did not cause detectable brain or developmental problems in rats.
Zhang Y, Li Z, Gao Y, Zhang C. · 2014
Researchers exposed pregnant mice to 9.417-GHz microwave radiation throughout most of their pregnancy and then tested the behavior of their offspring. They found that exposed mice showed increased anxiety-like behaviors and that male offspring specifically had impaired learning and memory, while female offspring were unaffected. This study provides the first evidence that prenatal microwave exposure can cause gender-specific brain effects that persist after birth.
Vereshchako GG, Chueshova NV, Gorokh GA, Naumov AD. · 2014
Russian researchers exposed pregnant rats and their male offspring to cell phone radiation (897 MHz) for 8 hours daily throughout pregnancy and early development. The exposed male rats showed accelerated sexual development, disrupted sperm production with abnormal cell counts at different stages, and decreased sperm viability despite having more mature sperm overall. This suggests that EMF exposure during critical developmental periods can cause lasting reproductive damage that persists into adulthood.
Varsier N et al. · 2014
French researchers used computer models to study how radiofrequency radiation (like from cell phones) affects developing babies at different stages of pregnancy. They found that fetal exposure to RF radiation changes throughout pregnancy, with brain exposure being slightly higher when the baby's head is positioned up rather than down in the womb. The study examined the 2100 MHz frequency band commonly used by mobile phones.
Ulubay M et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed pregnant rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used by many cell phones) and examined the kidneys of their offspring at four weeks old. They found that prenatal EMF exposure caused the kidneys to grow larger but have fewer filtering units called glomeruli, which are essential for proper kidney function. Importantly, giving the mothers melatonin or omega-3 supplements during pregnancy prevented these harmful effects.
Sepehrimanesh M et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed male rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used by many cell phones) for 1, 2, or 4 hours daily over 30 days. Rats exposed for 4 hours daily showed significantly decreased testosterone levels and disrupted reproductive hormones compared to unexposed rats. This suggests that prolonged RF exposure may interfere with male fertility and reproductive function.
Sepehrimanesh M, Kazemipour N, Saeb M, Nazifi S. · 2014
Researchers exposed male rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 1-4 hours daily over 30 days and analyzed changes in testicular proteins. They found 13 proteins that appeared or disappeared after exposure, including stress-response proteins like heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes. This suggests that even moderate cell phone-level radiation triggers cellular stress responses in reproductive tissue.
Seckin E et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed pregnant rats and their offspring to cell phone radiation (900 and 1800 MHz frequencies) for one hour daily during pregnancy and for 21 days after birth. While hearing tests showed no differences between exposed and unexposed animals, microscopic examination revealed significant cellular damage in the inner ear structures responsible for hearing. This suggests that cell phone radiation can harm developing hearing organs even when functional hearing appears normal.
Marzook EA, Abd El Moneim AE, Elhadary AA · 2014
Egyptian researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz radiation from a mobile phone base station for 8 weeks and found it caused oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) and disrupted cholesterol levels and antioxidant enzymes. When rats were also given sesame oil during exposure, many of these harmful effects were reduced, suggesting the oil's antioxidants provided some protection against the radiation damage.
Karaman MI et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone electromagnetic waves for 8 hours daily over 20 days and examined their testicular tissue. Both exposure groups showed significant damage to sperm-producing cells, including abnormal tubules and reduced sperm cell development, compared to unexposed controls. This suggests that prolonged cell phone radiation exposure may harm male reproductive health and fertility.
Gorpinchenko I, Nikitin O, Banyra O, Shulyak A. · 2014
Researchers exposed healthy men's sperm samples to mobile phone radiation for 5 hours and compared them to unexposed samples. The exposed sperm showed significantly reduced swimming ability and increased DNA damage (fragmentation of genetic material). This suggests that cell phone radiation can directly harm sperm quality, which could impact male fertility.
Geronikolou S et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed fruit flies (Drosophila) to radiation from both mobile phones (900 MHz) and cordless phones (1880 MHz) to study reproductive effects. They found that mobile phone radiation significantly reduced egg laying in the second generation of flies, while cordless phone radiation showed only limited effects. The study suggests that lower frequency radiation may cause stronger biological impacts.
Cabot E et al. · 2014
Swiss researchers used computer modeling to calculate how much radiofrequency radiation reaches fetuses at different stages of pregnancy when pregnant women are exposed to RF sources. They found that while fetuses are generally protected when mothers encounter everyday public exposure levels, occupational-level exposures can cause fetal radiation absorption to exceed safety limits by significant amounts.
Azadi Oskouyi E et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed male rabbits to 950 MHz microwave radiation (similar to older mobile phone frequencies) for 2 hours daily over 2 weeks. They found that the radiation caused significant damage to the epididymis (part of the male reproductive system), including tissue shrinkage, reduced testosterone levels at higher power, and increased cell death. This suggests that microwave radiation from mobile devices could potentially harm male fertility.
Alsaeed I et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed pregnant mice and their newborn pups to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (the type emitted by power lines and electrical wiring) during a critical developmental window. The exposed male mice grew up showing significant social deficits similar to those seen in autism spectrum disorders, including reduced interest in other mice and decreased exploratory behavior, while their physical abilities remained normal.
Sepehrimanesh M, Kazemipour N, Saeb M, Nazifi S. · 2014
Researchers exposed male rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 1-4 hours daily over 30 days, then analyzed protein changes in testicular tissue. They found significant alterations in 13 proteins, including heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes that typically respond to cellular stress. These changes suggest that even moderate cell phone radiation exposure can trigger stress responses in reproductive tissue without heating effects.
Odacı E et al. · 2014
Turkish researchers exposed pregnant rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily during late pregnancy, then examined kidney tissue in the male offspring at three weeks old. The exposed pups showed significant kidney damage including tissue degeneration, cyst formation, and blood vessel loss, along with elevated oxidative stress markers. This suggests that prenatal cell phone radiation exposure may cause lasting kidney damage through oxidative stress mechanisms.
Marzook EA, Abd El Moneim AE, Elhadary AA. · 2014
Researchers exposed rats to cell tower radiation 24 hours daily for 8 weeks. The radiation damaged cellular defenses and altered hormones, but sesame oil provided protection against these harmful effects. This suggests antioxidants may help protect against chronic radiofrequency radiation exposure.