Does Wi-Fi Damage Sperm?

Resting a laptop computer in your lap might not be good for the gonads. At least that’s the preliminary conclusion from a study of 29 healthy men. Researchers exposed semen samples to the electromagnetic field generated by a laptop connected to the web through Wi-Fi. After four hours the investigators tested the sperm for motility. Roughly one fourth were not moving. In a control sample 14 percent lost motility over four hours, even though the temperature was identical. There was also more DNA damage in the Wi-Fi exposed sperm. The authors of the study conclude that “our data suggest that the use of a laptop computer wirelessly connected to the internet and positioned near the male reproductive organs may reduce human sperm quality.” Several experts caution that it is far too soon to conclude that laptops affect fertility and more research is necessary.
[Fertility and Sterility, online, Nov. 23, 2011]