title: Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic.
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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Sciences, Exponent, Inc., 475 14th Street, Suite 400, Oakland, CA, 94612, USA. Electronic address: rlewis@exponent.com.
authors.forename: Ryan C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mínguez-Alarcón
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Meeker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Paige L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Sciences, Exponent, Inc., 149 Commonwealth Drive, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA.
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mezei
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Vincent Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Russ
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Vincent Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000075782:Cell Phone Use / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000639:trends; D005298:Fertility / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011846:Radio Waves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D057566:Self Report; D012661:Semen / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electromagnetic fields; Epidemiology; Longitudinal studies; Mobile phones; Reproductive health; Semen quality