The Effects of Exposure to Low Frequency EMF on Male Fertility

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2387

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typereview

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The Effects of Exposure to Low Frequency EMF on Male Fertility Darbandi M, Darbandi S, Agarwal A, Henkle R, Sadeghi MR. The Effects of Exposure to Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Male Fertility. Altern Ther Health Med. 2018 Jul;24(4):24-29. Abstract Context • People are increasingly exposed to low frequency (LF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs), mainly from electricity distribution networks and electronic devices. Critics of this widespread exposure believe that it can have detrimental effects on the human body. On the other hand, many in vivo and in vitro studies have claimed that low frequency electromagnetic therapy can function as a form of alternative medicine and that therapists can treat disease by applying electromagnetic radiation or pulsed EMFs to the body or cells. It is not yet entirely clear, however, whether LF-EMF is beneficial or harmful. Objectives • This study aimed to examine the effects of LF-EMFs on men's reproductive functions, according to the types of waveform and the frequency and duration of exposure. Design • The study reviewed all available research, both human and animal, on the effects of LF-EMFs on male reproductive functions, covering the literature from January 1978 to June 2016. The documents were obtained from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, and any article that was irrelevant or a duplicate was excluded. A total of 61 articles were found, and 27 articles were reviewed. Setting This project was performed at the Avicenna Research Center (Tehran, Iran). Participants Literature included human and animal studies conducted on rabbits, mice, rats, and boars. Intervention Among these studies, any article that was irrelevant, a duplicate, or published with duplicate data was excluded. At the end, 27 articles were checked. Outcome Measures Outcome measures included testing related to reproductive organ weights, reproductive endocrinal hormones, fetal development, and spermatogenesis as well as sperm motility, morphology, and vitality. Results The reviewed studies provided contradictory results that were highly dependent on the exposure parameters, such as the shape and frequency of wave, intensity, duration, and timing of the exposure. Conclusions LF-EMF at 15 Hz with a peak intensity of 8 Gauss, with a square waveform of 50 Hz frequency and a duration of a few hours or less can have a positive effect on sperm quality, motility, and fertility. Exposures at other frequencies either had no effects on the sperm's performance and quality or held biological hazard for cells. It appears that there is still little understanding of how EMF affects cellular functions. Therefore, more standardized and controlled studies should be carried out to understand the effects of EMF on the body. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 typereview

Effect directionmixed

PopulationLiterature review including human and animal studies (rabbits, mice, rats, boars)

Sample size27

ExposureELF · varied; conclusions mention a few hours or less

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Across 27 reviewed articles, results were described as contradictory and dependent on exposure parameters (waveform shape/frequency, intensity, duration, timing). The authors report that LF-EMF at 15 Hz with peak intensity 8 Gauss, and a square waveform at 50 Hz for a few hours or less, can have positive effects on sperm quality/motility/fertility, while other frequencies were reported as having no effect or potential biological hazard.

Outcomes measured

reproductive organ weights
reproductive endocrinal hormones
fetal development
spermatogenesis
sperm motility
sperm morphology
sperm vitality
sperm quality
fertility

Limitations

Review methods and quality appraisal details are not provided in the abstract (e.g., risk-of-bias assessment).
Heterogeneity of exposure parameters (frequency, waveform, intensity, duration, timing) leading to contradictory findings.
Includes both human and multiple animal species, limiting direct comparability.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "electricity distribution networks and electronic devices; electromagnetic therapy/pulsed EMFs",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "varied; conclusions mention a few hours or less"
  },
  "population": "Literature review including human and animal studies (rabbits, mice, rats, boars)",
  "sample_size": 27,
  "outcomes": [
    "reproductive organ weights",
    "reproductive endocrinal hormones",
    "fetal development",
    "spermatogenesis",
    "sperm motility",
    "sperm morphology",
    "sperm vitality",
    "sperm quality",
    "fertility"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across 27 reviewed articles, results were described as contradictory and dependent on exposure parameters (waveform shape/frequency, intensity, duration, timing). The authors report that LF-EMF at 15 Hz with peak intensity 8 Gauss, and a square waveform at 50 Hz for a few hours or less, can have positive effects on sperm quality/motility/fertility, while other frequencies were reported as having no effect or potential biological hazard.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Review methods and quality appraisal details are not provided in the abstract (e.g., risk-of-bias assessment).",
    "Heterogeneity of exposure parameters (frequency, waveform, intensity, duration, timing) leading to contradictory findings.",
    "Includes both human and multiple animal species, limiting direct comparability."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "low frequency electromagnetic fields",
    "LF-EMF",
    "ELF",
    "male fertility",
    "sperm motility",
    "spermatogenesis",
    "reproductive hormones",
    "pulsed EMF therapy",
    "electricity distribution networks"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Mentions exposure from electricity distribution networks and electronic devices, which can include occupational/environmental sources."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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