Surfing the internet on a laptop that is connected with wireless technology can damage sperm counts, a study suggests.
a new Japanese study to be reported at the ASPIRE 2019 congress has looked at the effects electromagnetic waves from a Wi-Fi device have on male fertility. It is the first detailed study of its kind.
Fifty-one male patients from a research clinic participated in the study from August to November 2018. Each of the men, whose average age was 38.4 years, were previously involved in IVF or artificial insemination procedures at the clinic.
Sperm samples were taken from the men and they were divided into three groups:
Control group, whose sperm samples were not exposed to electromagnetic waves from the Wi-Fi device
Shield group, whose sperm was protected by a small Wi-Fi shield that intercepts electromagnetic waves
Exposed group, whose sperm was exposed to the electromagnetic waves
The exposed group’s sperm samples were placed near a pocket Wi-Fi router, similar to how a mobile phone would be carried in a man’s trousers, and exposed to electromagnetic waves over periods of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, two hours and 24 hours. Sperm motion was then tested using an advanced sperm motility analysis system.
The results found that after 30 minutes’ exposure to the electromagnetic waves, the sperm motility rate of the control and shield group was 87%, while that of the exposed group was 88%. There was also little difference in motility rates across the three groups after 60 minutes.
After two hours of electromagnetic exposure, however, greater discrepancies emerged. Motility rate of the control group was 53.3%, the shield group 44.9%, and the exposed group 26.4%.
After 24 hours, the dead sperm rate of the control group was 8.4%, the shield group 18.2%, and the exposed group significantly higher at 23.3%.
