Men who use their phones regularly have a sperm count a fifth lower than those who do not, new research has found.
That's according to the Irish Independent.
Scientists from Switzerland recruited almost 3,000 soldiers between 2005 and 2018 and asked them to monitor their mobile phone use.
They then checked the quantity of their sperm.
The research found that men who used their phones more than 20 times a day had a sperm count 21% lower than those who used it just once a week or less.
The biggest effect was seen in those who had 2G or 3G phones rather than more modern ones.
Where men carried their devices had no impact on the sperm count, despite previous studies suggesting that radiation from phones can lower sperm count.
The research suggesting this has been criticised as it didn't take into account factors such as diet or exercise.
On the contrary, the University of Geneva and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute found there was a link between phone use and a lower sperm count even when considering lifestyle factors and general health.
Rita Rahban of the University of Geneva is the first author of the study.
"Do microwaves emitted by mobile phones have a direct or indirect effect? Do they cause a significant increase in temperature in the testes? Do they affect the hormonal regulation of sperm production? This all remains to be discovered," she said.
Lower sperm count trend
Over the past 50 years, studies have shown that semen quantity has been decreasing.
In the past, men had an average of 99 million sperm per millilitre compared to just 47 million per millilitre nowadays.
It's thought to be because of a number of factors such as people's environment, hormone disruptors, radiation, pesticides, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and stress.
A reduction in sperm count affects fertility and can reduce the chance of pregnancy.
If there are less than 40 million sperm per millilitre, it can be more difficult to conceive.
The study by the Swiss scientists has been published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility."
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