Warning to male mobile phone users:

[spindrifter]

chatting too long may cut sperm count

Ian Sample in New Orleans
Tuesday October 24, 2006
The Guardian

Researchers found sperm quality fell with increased mobile phone usage. Photograph: Dennis Wilson/Corbis

Men who use mobile phones for long periods at a time may be at risk of damaging their sperm, according to research by American scientists.

Samples taken from men attending a fertility clinic revealed that their sperm declined steadily in number, quality and ability to swim as mobile phone usage increased. Where men used their mobiles for more than four hours a day, researchers found a 30% drop in sperm motility or movement and viability when compared with men who did not use a mobile phone.

Scientists believe the study is too preliminary to prove an unequivocal link between mobile phones and falling sperm counts, but the work received a cautious welcome from other scientists who called for further studies to rule out other factors known to influence sperm quality, such as age, weight, smoking, stress and whether people had sedentary jobs.

Ashok Agarwal, who presented his findings at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in New Orleans, stressed the study did not prove mobile phones were damaging male fertility, but urged scientists to investigate the possibility.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/mobile/article/0,,1930026,00....

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So how many men are talking on their cell phones more than 4 hours a day?

[hlthe2b]

1. So, while the Xian Right looks for ways to outlaw birth control....

will they go after cell phones next?

[lvx35]

2. "chatting too long may cut sperm count"

Ah, but did the study take into account who the subjects were talking to and what they were talking about?

[Atman]

7. "Less talk. Make it happen."

Royal Bank of Scotland.

[lvx35]

15. hillarious! nt

[petronius]

14. You mean, if the conversation was something like:

"Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear... Well, I thi- ... Yes, Dear... Yes, Dear...", it might lead to a reduced sperm count?

[lvx35]

16. lol...totally!

hee hee. hell, if hey just took out the conversations where one of the numbers started with 1-900, they would probably have abetter sample...

[trotsky]

3. I hereby propose we start a "Cellphones for Freepers" fund. n/t

[Swamp Rat]

6. LOL!

[NMMNG]

12. I'd gladly donate to that charity

[LostInAnomie]

4. And this is a problem for a young stud like me, how?

I ain't lookin' to have babies!

[Atman]

8. Call your mother!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

5. To whom would men be talking more than 4 hrs a day? If a substantial

proportion of people on the other end of the line that much are, as I'd suspect, people with whom they're having intercourse, then the talky men very likely would be having more sex than the other men. And having intercourse more frequently is associated with lower sperm counts.

I haven't read the article, but I'd hate to think such an obvious explanation for the "findings" is being ignored, perhaps wilfully. Many research "findings" are pretty ridiculous when they don't include careful analysis of probable cause and effect relationships.

[Ron Green]

11. Phone calls lasting more than 4 hours could be a sign of a medical problem -

see a physician if this happens.

[RB TexLa]

9. Good, you know just incase the doctor didn't tie the knot tight enough

[Blackthorn]

10. I'd have to want kids in the first place.

[REP]

13. And This Is Bad News Why...?

[One_Life_To_Give]

17. Salesmen use their mobiles over 4hrs per day

I wonder who else does, and what that says about the perosn in the first place. The article doesn't really say about normalizing for job related stress, etc. Could be that people with low sperm counts use the phone more than 4hrs a day.