The average sperm count has dropped by half in men, from 99 million sperm per millilitre to 47 million per millilitre.
This number is on the verge of hitting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) measure of low-quality sperm, which is 40 million per millilitre.
Researchers attribute the sharp decline to a combination of environmental factors, including endocrine disruptors, pesticides, and radiation, as well as lifestyle habits like diet, alcohol consumption, stress, and smoking.
Scientists from UNIGE and Swiss TPH investigated whether mobile phones also play a role in this decline.
The study involved 2,886 Swiss men between 18 and 22, recruited between 2005 and 2018 at six military conscription centres.
Participants completed detailed questionnaires about their lifestyle habits, general health, and mobile phone usage frequency, as well as where they typically stored their phones when not in use.
The findings revealed an association between frequent mobile phone use and lower sperm concentration. Men who used their phones more than 20 times a day had a 21 per cent decrease in sperm concentration among frequent users.
Constant phone use reduced average sperm concentration to 44.5 million per millilitre, compared to 56.5 million per millilitre in men who used their phones less than once a week.
The study also noted that this association was more pronounced in the earlier study period (2005-2007) and gradually decreased with time (2008-2011 and 2012-2018).
