Laptop Exposure Associated With Nonthermal Effect on Sperm Quality

Exposure to laptop computers might adversely affect male fertility by inducing DNA fragmentation and decreasing progressive motility, according to research presented here at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 66th Annual Meeting.


In the first study of its kind to evaluate the effect of laptop computers receiving wireless Internet signals on human spermatozoa, researchers evaluated semen samples from 15 men. The samples were separated into 2 incubation groups: one that was exposed to a laptop computer receiving a WiFi signal for 4 hours, and another that was not.


Despite the fact that the 2 groups were kept at a controlled temperature (25 °C) to rule out thermal effects, the results showed significant DNA damage and decreased sperm motility in the laptop-exposed group.

This is the first study to evaluate the impact of laptops on human spermatozoa and to demonstrate a detrimental effect from a nonthermal mechanism. Thus the effect of laptops on real people's testis is still unknown, and this study does not shed light on this.

Because of that the researchers could only recommend that people do not use the computer on the lap, especially if they are of reproductive age.

Hopefully more study would be done about this topic that would answer the question about the effect of laptops on male fertility.

Read more on the source :

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/732024