Holding Laptops May Be Bad For Male Reproductive Health

If you thought holding your laptop like this was a good idea, apparently it's not

You’ve probably heard this multiple times before, extended cell phone usage has serious chances of decreasing your fertility. Well, if you’re worried about that kind of stuff, then you’ll have to add one more device to the list of “use with care and in moderation”. Apparently, using a laptop computer may not be the best thing for most men out there.

According to a recent study laptops can threaten male reproductive health and the only way to avoid this type of threat is to keep your laptop on the desk. But, then, why is it called a laptop, you may ask? A urologist at the State University of New York, Yelim Sheynkin was the one who led the study published in Fertility and Sterility. 29 young men balancing a laptop on their knees had to put up with a thermometer, well, down there. The thermometers were used to measure the temperature e in the area and even with a special pad for the laptop, the males’ privates overheated quite fast.

“Millions and millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive age range,” said Sheynkin. He added that within a short period of time (about 10 minutes or so of usage) their scrotal temperature is already above what’s considered safe. The young men using the laptops aren’t aware of this, however. Naturally, this poses a major problem. The American Urological Association has already revealed that about one in six couples in the US have trouble conceiving and in about half the cases, male infertility is to blame.

As Reuters reports, in normal environments, the position of the testicles outside the bodies will keep then several degrees cooler than the inside of the body. This difference in temperature is necessary for sperm production. So it’s obvious why the effect of laptops on that area may be considered a threat to the well being of the devices’ users. While it’s clear that laptops are doing something, no studies have managed to reveal how exactly laptops affect male fertility. So far Sheynkin admits that there is no strong evidence to indicate that. However, earlier research revealed that warming the scrotom even more than one degree Celsius (or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) is enough to damage sperm.

Obviously, you may now add laptops to an endless list of objects and habits that might affect reproductive health. “I wouldn’t say that if someone starts to use laptops they will become infertile,” Sheynkin told Reuters Health. Still, frequent use can and probably will contribute to reproductive problems, whether you have a cooling pad for the laptop or not. The conclusion to all this? If you don’t intend to toy around with having children in the future, maybe it might be a good idea to avoid holding laptops where you think they belong the most, in your lap. The other options is to ignore, as always, indications given by various researchers and continue with your life as if you’ve never read this. As always, moderation will keep you safe.11