Do you regularly lie on the sofa or in bed with your laptop? If so, it now appears you don’t have to worry too much about it affecting your fertility
According to several US doctors, having a laptop resting near your reproductive organs is not going to stop you having children.
The panel of experts spoke to The Verge online magazine about the risks.
Dr John Amory, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington State Medical Centre told blogger Ashley Carmen: “The good news is that laptop use shouldn’t have any negative impact on fertility.”
Infertility fellow at Stanford University, Dr Sara Vaughn agreed, saying: “At this point there has not been enough definitive studies for us to recommend citations against laptops.”
But the main concerns for men seem to surround radiation and external heat a laptop produces.
Dr Micheal Eisenburg, urologist and professor at Stamford University said there could be a minor risk in men
He said: “Testicles are outside the body because they need to be kept a little cooler, so anything that could heat them up can be an issue and laptops could essentially do that. I generally tell men to avoid doing it.
“It’s unlikely that a laptop is the whole story, but it could be one component that could improve things if avoided.”
Something men should definitely avoid is hot tubs as the high temperature can have an adverse affect on sperm production, and those affects might not be known for many months later due to the amount of time takes to produce sperm.
Dr Amory says the best way to avoid any concerns about laptops in men is to use a desk instead of your lap.
Opiates have been proven to decrease sperm production as does alcohol, so he states these should be avoided.
For women it is a different story, as their ovaries are internal and protected by the abdomen and pelvis.
Laptop heat would not affect ovaries or eggs, but pregnant women should not put directly onto their stomachs.
Dr Vaughn said: “The ovaries are very much protected in a way that testicles are not, I do not worry about the theoretical risk, it’s certainly not something I bring up with patients.”
When talking about laptop radiation, Dr Amory said the amount is minimal, it could be compared to the same you would be exposed to when flying or in every day life.
So, if you’re at all worried about your fertility just use a desk rather than a lap.
To learn more about male fertility, why not visit the Men’s Room
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