Mobile phones could be cooking the sperm of people who have them in their pockets, according to a new study.

Talking on a phone that’s charging and leaving it close by on a bedside, as well as storing handsets in a trouser pocket, could be reducing the sperm count of men, according to a major new study.

Men who used their phone for more than two hours per day were found to be twice as likely to have low sperm quality, compared to those who used them for less than an hour, according to a new study published in Reproductive BioMedicine. People who talked on the phone while it charged were twice as likely to see problems, according to the Israeli study that tracked 109 men.

The study claimed that the effects on sperm are so strong that for some people it would make conception difficult, and experts have warned men that they should keep their phone away from their trouser pockets if possible.

The researchers have speculated that electromagnetic active and heat energy coming from the phone can “cook” sperm, causing it to die and leading to plunging fertility rates. The study lends support to the idea of a link between a reduction in male fertility rates that has come alongside the surging popularity of mobile phones.

If men want to avoid the effects of mobile phones on their fertility, such as if they are looking to conceive, then they should leave turn off their devices while they charge or keep them from the groin area, the study concludes.

Courtesy The Independent