Effects of mobile phone usage on sperm quality - No time-dependent relationship on usage: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis combining observational in vivo studies and in vitro experimental designs rather than randomized clinical trials.
PubMed 34333014 · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111784
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to assess the effect of mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic wave exposure on human sperm quality. The review evaluated 18 studies comprising 4,280 samples across both experimental in vitro and observational in vivo designs, analyzing motility, viability, and concentration.
What was found
Exposure to mobile phones was associated with reduced sperm motility, viability, and concentration across both in vitro and in vivo studies. However, the decrease in sperm quality was not significantly related to increased mobile phone usage time. The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes modern literature on radiofrequency electromagnetic wave exposure and semen parameters, though the absence of a time-dependent dose-response relationship complicates causal conclusions.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Combining observational human studies with in vitro bench exposures introduces high methodological heterogeneity, and exposure measurement methods or potential confounders were not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Meta-analytic evidence indicates that exposure to electromagnetic fields can adversely impact sperm motility.