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Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic

2016 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 1420

In a longitudinal cohort study of 153 men (350 semen samples), linear mixed models found no evidence of an association between self-reported mobile phone use patterns (duration, headset/earpiece use, and carrying location) and semen quality.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2016
Study typecohort
Reported directionNo effect
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic Lewis RC, Mínguez-Alarcón L, Meeker JD, Williams PL, Mezei G, Ford JB, Hauser R; EARTH Study Team. Self- reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic. Reprod Toxicol. 2016 Nov 9. pii: S0890-6238(16)30408-7. Abstract There is increasing concern that use of mobile phones, a source of low-level radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, may be associated with poor semen quality, but the epidemiologic evidence is limited and conflicting. The relationship between mobile phone use patterns and markers of semen quality was explored in a longitudinal cohort study of 153 men that attended an academic fertility clinic in Boston, Massachusetts. Information on mobile phone use duration, headset or earpiece use, and the body location in which the mobile phone was carried was ascertained via nurse-administered questionnaire. Semen samples (n=350) were collected and analyzed onsite. To account for multiple semen samples per man, linear mixed models with random intercepts were used to investigate the association between mobile phone use and semen parameters. Overall, there was no evidence for a relationship between mobile phone use and semen quality. Conflict of Interest: Ryan Lewis and Gabor Mezei work for Exponent, Inc., a company that provides consultation on the potential human health risks associated with exposure to environmental agents, including RF- EMFs. All other authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgement: This research was supported by grant R01 ES009718 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and project 1-SP0239 from the Electric Power Research Institute. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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 directionno_effect
PopulationMen attending an academic fertility clinic in Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
Sample size153
ExposureRF · Self-reported mobile phone use duration; also headset/earpiece use and phone carrying location
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a longitudinal cohort study of 153 men (350 semen samples), linear mixed models found no evidence of an association between self-reported mobile phone use patterns (duration, headset/earpiece use, and carrying location) and semen quality.

Outcomes measured

  • Semen parameters / semen quality markers

Limitations

  • Exposure was self-reported via questionnaire (potential misclassification).
  • Study population was men from a fertility clinic, which may limit generalizability.
  • Specific RF exposure metrics (e.g., frequency, SAR) were not reported in the abstract.
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Self-reported mobile phone use duration; also headset/earpiece use and phone carrying location"
  },
  "population": "Men attending an academic fertility clinic in Boston, Massachusetts (USA)",
  "sample_size": 153,
  "outcomes": [
    "Semen parameters / semen quality markers"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a longitudinal cohort study of 153 men (350 semen samples), linear mixed models found no evidence of an association between self-reported mobile phone use patterns (duration, headset/earpiece use, and carrying location) and semen quality.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure was self-reported via questionnaire (potential misclassification).",
    "Study population was men from a fertility clinic, which may limit generalizability.",
    "Specific RF exposure metrics (e.g., frequency, SAR) were not reported in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "radio-frequency electromagnetic fields",
    "RF-EMF",
    "semen quality",
    "semen parameters",
    "fertility clinic",
    "longitudinal cohort",
    "EARTH Study"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source is mobile phone use (RF-EMF)."
    },
    {
      "slug": "reproductive-health",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Outcome is semen parameters/semen quality."
    }
  ]
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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