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Digital technologies like WiFi are, really, in their infancy. Some of these technologies have been around for less than a decade. It’s conceivable that there are health implications with many of these technologies that we just don’t understand yet. One of the areas that scientists are just starting to discover in that regard is WiFi and male fertility.

According to a recent study in Argentina, WiFi may actually damage sperm. This study took semen samples from 29 men. They then placed a little bit of the semen under a laptop that was sending and receiving a Wi-Fi signal.

What the scientists discovered was compelling. Just four hours later, about a quarter of the sperm had stopped moving. When compared with sperm that weren’t stored under the computer but were stored at the same temperature, only about 14 percent seemed to be affected.

Electromagnetic radiation and WiFi

WiFi technology emits low levels of electromagnetic radiation. While a laptop by itself will also create a certain amount of electromagnetic radiation, WiFi use emits significantly higher amounts.

This seems to dovetail with other recent research which shows that radiation from cell phones may also cripple sperm in the lab.

Laptop use and sperm quality

Another factor in all of this is heat. One of the more solidly-researched areas of sperm quality, as you probably know, has to do with heat. Heat on the scrotum just isn’t good for sperm production.

That creates a double-whammy for the man who is trying to get his partner pregnant. Using a laptop with WiFi, then, could affect male fertility.

The research is all very new, and there hasn’t been any specific research connecting laptop use with infertility directly. Indeed, it’s far too early to suggest a definite connection.

(On top of all of that, who actually uses a laptop computer on their laptop these days?)

More research is necessary

If you’re trying to conceive, there’s no compelling reason to go back to a wired Internet connection just yet. That said, it’s certainly worth continued investigation.

So, what do you think? Is all of this technology around us affecting fertility rates?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 and is filed under Fertility.