RF Safe

Does Exposure of Smart Phones during Pregnancy Affect the Offspring's Ovarian Reserve? A Rat Model Study

2019 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1631

Prenatal RF exposure group had significantly lower mean numbers of primordial (p=0.006) and secondary follicles (p=0.003) and a higher atresia score versus controls. The RF+300 mg omega-3 group was comparable to controls, while the RF+600 mg omega-3 group had…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019
Study typeanimal
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Does Exposure of Smart Phones during Pregnancy Affect the Offspring's Ovarian Reserve? A Rat Model Study Calis P, Seymen M, Soykan Y, Delen K, Aral BS, Take Kaplanoglu G, Karcaaltincaba D. Does Exposure of Smart Phones during Pregnancy Affect the Offspring's Ovarian Reserve? A Rat Model Study. Fetal Pediatr Pathol. 2019 Dec 10:1-11. doi: 10.1080/15513815.2019.1692112. Abstract Objective: We investigated the effect of prenatal exposure to smart phone radiation and the protective effect of omega-3 on ovarian reserve of offspring. Methods: 24 pregnant Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups. Group-I received neither radiofrequency (RF) radiation nor omega-3, group-II received RF, group-III received RF radiation and 300 mg omega-3 and group-IV received RF radiation and 600 mg Omega-3 till birth. At 42 days, bilateral oophorectomy was performed on all female offspring for follicle count and immunohistochemical staining (GDF9, FOXO1 and TUNEL). Results: Group-II had significantly lower mean number of primordial (p = 0.006), secondary follicles(p = 0.003) and a higher atresia score. Group-III variables were comparable with group-I variables. Group-IV had statistically higher median number of atretic follicles than group-I (p = 0.023). Conclusions: Ovarian reserve of offspring diminished with RF exposure during pregnancy. Omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy may reduce the potential premature ovarian failure. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Excerpts RF exposure in the experiment resulted in a whole body average SAR of 0.23 W/kg with an ERMS field of 17.25 V/m. This SAR value could be accepted as non-thermal SAR level for RF radiation, because it is known that 4 W/kg SAR leads to 1 °C increase in the temperature of the exposed tissue. RF exposure was applied at the same time of the day at whole pregnancy for 1 hour/day. In conclusion, RF appears to negatively alter ovarian reserve in a rat model when exposed throughout pregnancy. However, low dose of Omega-3 supplementation might be a preventive strategy to minimize atresia in such cases. Before extrapolating those results to clinical practice, current findings should be confirmed with human data.

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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 typeanimal
Effect directionharm
PopulationPregnant Wistar albino rats and female offspring (assessed at postnatal day 42)
Sample size24
ExposureRF · 0.23 W/kg · 1 hour/day throughout pregnancy (until birth)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Prenatal RF exposure group had significantly lower mean numbers of primordial (p=0.006) and secondary follicles (p=0.003) and a higher atresia score versus controls. The RF+300 mg omega-3 group was comparable to controls, while the RF+600 mg omega-3 group had a higher median number of atretic follicles than controls (p=0.023).

Outcomes measured

  • Ovarian reserve/follicle counts (primordial, secondary)
  • Atresia score/atretic follicles
  • Immunohistochemical markers: GDF9, FOXO1, TUNEL

Limitations

  • Animal (rat) model; authors note need for confirmation with human data
  • Frequency of RF exposure not reported in the provided abstract/excerpts
  • Exposure described as whole-body average SAR/field; smartphone-specific usage conditions not detailed
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 0.23,
    "duration": "1 hour/day throughout pregnancy (until birth)"
  },
  "population": "Pregnant Wistar albino rats and female offspring (assessed at postnatal day 42)",
  "sample_size": 24,
  "outcomes": [
    "Ovarian reserve/follicle counts (primordial, secondary)",
    "Atresia score/atretic follicles",
    "Immunohistochemical markers: GDF9, FOXO1, TUNEL"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Prenatal RF exposure group had significantly lower mean numbers of primordial (p=0.006) and secondary follicles (p=0.003) and a higher atresia score versus controls. The RF+300 mg omega-3 group was comparable to controls, while the RF+600 mg omega-3 group had a higher median number of atretic follicles than controls (p=0.023).",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Animal (rat) model; authors note need for confirmation with human data",
    "Frequency of RF exposure not reported in the provided abstract/excerpts",
    "Exposure described as whole-body average SAR/field; smartphone-specific usage conditions not detailed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "prenatal exposure",
    "radiofrequency",
    "smartphone",
    "SAR",
    "omega-3",
    "ovarian reserve",
    "follicle count",
    "atresia",
    "rat model"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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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: 10.1080/15513815.2019.1692112
PubMed: Not supplied

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