RF-038Original text reviewed

Mobile-phone-use associations with objectively measured semen count

Rahban et al. · 2023 · Fertility and Sterility

The reported finding

Higher usage frequency associated with lower total sperm count and a concentration trend. For >20 uses/day versus 1-5/day, adjusted total-count coefficient was negative; the corresponding concentration confidence interval included zero. No consistent adverse motility/morphology association, and pocket carriage was not associated with lower semen measures.

Reading it carefully

Cross-sectional association with phone-use behaviour, not established RF causation or measured infertility. Self-selection (~3% contributed biological material), residual lifestyle confounding, one semen sample and substantial exposure misclassification. Cubic-root coefficients are not percentage reductions. Temporal attenuation does not identify a causal mechanism.

Inside the study

Exposure conditions

Self-reported mobile-phone-use frequency and phone placement,2005-2018. No personal RF field or testicular absorbed-dose measurements; network generation/output power not individually established.

Design & controls

Nationwide Swiss cross-sectional conscription sample:2,886 men aged 18-22;2,759 reported usage frequency. Standardized semen analysis near 6 recruitment centres; adjusted regression, multiple imputation.

Statistics

Table 2, >20/day: cubic-root-transformed total-count β=-0.271(95%CI-0.515,-0.027),P=.030; concentration β=-0.152(CI-0.316,0.011),P=.067. Continuous frequency trends were significant for concentration(P=.032) and count(P=.012),Table 3.

Related research & shared cohorts

Swiss SCAHT/University of Geneva reproductive programme with Swiss TPH. Same conscription collection later used in geographical/semen studies; do not count those as independent RF replications.

The protection question raised

Is the association with total sperm count related to RF or to other aspects of phone use and lifestyle? Unmeasured dose and cross-sectional sampling leave causation and fertility consequences unresolved.

Source verification

Original published 13-page PDF retrieved from University of Geneva archive; methods,Tables 2-3,Discussion and declarations reviewed. Scite metadata confirmed; no readable Scite fulltext.

Where to find the result

Original pp 1182-1183/Methods;Table 2 p1185;Table 3 p1186;limitationsp 1189;declarationsp 1190.

Editorial notices

No editorial notice surfaced in the Scite/primary-record checks used for this record; this is not a comprehensive clean-bill certification.

Funding

Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology(SCAHT) and Département de l'Instruction Publique,state of Geneva(toS.N.).

Conflicts of interest

R.R./A.S.:nothing to disclose. S.N.:SCAHT/University of Geneva funding for work. M.R.:funding from Swiss environment/health offices,WHO,ANSES outside work and consulting fees from Swedish Radiation Authority.

Original publication

Rita Rahban; Alfred Senn; Serge Nef; Martin Rӧӧsli. Association between self-reported mobile phone use and the semen quality of young men. Fertility and Sterility. 2023;120(6):1181-1192. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.09.009.

Plain-text record