Association between electronic device usage and sperm quality parameters in healthy men screened as potential sperm donors

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2022 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 693

Study snapshot

PublicationEnvironmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2022

Study typecohort

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Association between electronic device usage and sperm quality parameters in healthy men screened as potential sperm donors Chen HG, Wu P, Sun B, Chen JX, Xiong CL, Meng TQ, Huang XY, Su QL, Zhou H, Wang YX, Ye W, Pan A. Association between electronic device usage and sperm quality parameters in healthy men screened as potential sperm donors. Environ Pollut. 2022 Sep 1;312:120089. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120089. Highlights • Semen samples were repeatedly collected from 1454 healthy men. • Electronic device use was evaluated by comprehensive questionnaire. • Electronic device use was related to lower semen quality in modest effect size. • Daily calling time was associated with lower sperm concentration and total count. Abstract Cell phone use and radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) are rapidly increasing and may be associated with lower semen quality, yet results from epidemiological studies are inconclusive. Information on electronic devices use was collected through standard questionnaires from 1454 men aged 22-45 years old. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, total motility, progressive motility, and normal morphology in repeated specimens were determined by trained clinical technicians. Percent changes [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] were estimated as (10β-1) × 100 for electronic devices use associated with repeated sperm quality parameters in the linear mixed-effect models. After adjusting for multiple confounders, we found significant inverse associations of total duration of electronic devices use with sperm progressive motility and total motility, duration of cell phone and computer use with sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total motility (all P < 0.05). No significant association was found between cell phone/computer use alone and sperm quality parameters. Moreover, per hour increase of time spent on cell phone talking was associated with decreased sperm concentration and total count by an average of -8.0% (95% CI: -15.2%, -0.2%) and -12.7% (95% CI: -21.3%, -3.1%), respectively. Besides, daily calling time was associated with lower sperm progressive motility and total motility among those who used headsets during a call (P for interaction <0.05). In conclusion, our study suggested that more time spent on electronic devices use had a modest reduction effect on semen quality. Daily calling time was significantly associated with lower sperm concentration and total count, and using headsets during a call appeared to aggravate the negative association between daily calling time and sperm motility. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Conclusions In conclusion, more time spent on electronic devices use was associated with decreased semen quality in modest effect size. Daily calling time was significantly associated with lower sperm concentration and total count, and it might interact synergistically with headset use during a call to further decrease sperm progressive motility and total motility. Although our research suggests that electronic devices exert no obvious reproductive hazards to healthy men with good fertility, we still advise men with a pregnancy plan to avoid excessive electronic devices use, especially avoid using headsets during a call. Additional well-designed prospective population studies are required to identify the effects of electronic devices use on semen quality more precisely, and to evaluate the clinical importance of the risk to both sub-fertile men and the general population.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecohort

Effect directionharm

PopulationHealthy men (aged 22–45) screened as potential sperm donors

Sample size1454

ExposureRF · self-reported duration of electronic device use; daily calling time (per hour increase)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In linear mixed-effect models adjusting for multiple confounders, total duration of electronic device use was inversely associated with sperm progressive motility and total motility, and duration of cell phone and computer use was inversely associated with sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total motility (all P < 0.05). Per hour increase in cell phone talking time was associated with decreased sperm concentration (-8.0%; 95% CI: -15.2%, -0.2%) and total sperm count (-12.7%; 95% CI: -21.3%, -3.1%); daily calling time was also associated with lower motility among headset users (interaction P < 0.05).

Outcomes measured

Semen volume
Sperm concentration
Total sperm count
Total motility
Progressive motility
Normal morphology

Limitations

Electronic device use assessed by questionnaire (self-reported exposure)
Observational design; epidemiological evidence described as inconclusive and authors call for additional studies

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone, computer, electronic devices",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "self-reported duration of electronic device use; daily calling time (per hour increase)"
  },
  "population": "Healthy men (aged 22–45) screened as potential sperm donors",
  "sample_size": 1454,
  "outcomes": [
    "Semen volume",
    "Sperm concentration",
    "Total sperm count",
    "Total motility",
    "Progressive motility",
    "Normal morphology"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In linear mixed-effect models adjusting for multiple confounders, total duration of electronic device use was inversely associated with sperm progressive motility and total motility, and duration of cell phone and computer use was inversely associated with sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total motility (all P < 0.05). Per hour increase in cell phone talking time was associated with decreased sperm concentration (-8.0%; 95% CI: -15.2%, -0.2%) and total sperm count (-12.7%; 95% CI: -21.3%, -3.1%); daily calling time was also associated with lower motility among headset users (interaction P < 0.05).",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Electronic device use assessed by questionnaire (self-reported exposure)",
    "Observational design; epidemiological evidence described as inconclusive and authors call for additional studies"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "cell phone",
    "computer use",
    "electronic devices",
    "semen quality",
    "sperm concentration",
    "sperm count",
    "motility",
    "headset use",
    "questionnaire",
    "linear mixed-effect model"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-emf-fertility",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Assesses associations between RF-related electronic device use (including cell phone calling time) and semen/sperm quality parameters in men."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120089
PubMed: 36058315

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