Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Is cell phone radiation a risk factor for female infertility?
Although we have considerable evidence that cell phone radiation
damages sperm and is associated with male infertility, little attention has
been paid to studying the effects of cell phone radiation on female
infertility.*
A newly published study by Courtney Lynch and her colleagues
found for women trying to get pregnant that stress as measured by the
alpha-amylase levels in their saliva predicted whether they were successful.
The researchers found that women with the highest levels of this enzyme in
their saliva had a 29 percent lower probability of pregnancy compared to those
with the lowest levels.
Although this study did not examine EMF exposure, earlier
research published by Christoph Augner and his colleagues found that people who
lived within 100 meters of cell phone towers had greater salivary alpha-amylase
levels. In an experimental study, the researchers found that exposure to higher
levels of GSM cell tower radiation increased the levels of this salivary
enzyme.
In a 2013 review paper, Nazıroğlu and colleagues examined
research on the effects of Wi-Fi and mobile phone radiation on reproductive
signaling pathways. They reported that this radiation is related to
"oxidative stress and overproduction of free oxygen radicals in female and
male infertility." The authors concluded that "the role of EMR
from mobile phones and wireless devices in female and male fertility should be
investigated."
The news story and study abstracts appear below.
References
Stress May Diminish a Woman's Fertility, Study Suggests
First U.S. review to show a possible link between stress and how
long it takes to get pregnant
Mary Brophy Marcus, HealthDay News, Mar 24, 2014
Stress may increase a woman's risk of infertility, new research
suggests.
The authors of the study wanted to investigate the relationship
between stress and infertility. So they looked at levels of an enzyme linked
with stress in the saliva of women who were trying to get pregnant.
They also tracked the women's ability to conceive over a
12-month period.
"Women with higher levels of the stress biomarker had a
two-fold increased risk of infertility," said study author Courtney Lynch.
The enzyme they measured is called salivary alpha-amylase.
"Alpha-amylase is an enzyme that is secreted into the mouth
that helps the body start to digest carbohydrates," said Lynch, director
of reproductive epidemiology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
"It is also linked to the fight-or-flight part of the stress system."
For the study, Lynch and her colleagues collected data from
about 500 couples who were recruited from targeted counties in Texas and
Michigan.
"We tried to find couples who were just starting to try to
get pregnant," Lynch said. "We sent a nursing team out to their
houses who did interviews and trained the women how to use saliva-collection
kits."
The women took saliva samples twice -- at the start of the study
and again after they'd had their first menstrual period during the study time
frame. For most, that was about a month into the study, Lynch said. Since
alpha-amylase can be affected by alcohol, tobacco and caffeine consumption, the
researchers asked the women to take their saliva samples right after waking up
in the morning.
The researchers followed the couples for up to 12 months,
collecting information on whether they'd conceived.
Of the approximately 400 couples who completed the study, 87
percent of the women became pregnant. After adjusting for age, race, income and
the use of alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes, the researchers found that the
women with the highest alpha-amylase levels had a 29 percent lower probability
of pregnancy compared to the women who had the lowest levels of the enzyme.
The study results were published in the March 24 issue of the
journal Human Reproduction.
Lynch said it's important to be clear that the results do not
suggest that stress alone is the reason a woman can't get pregnant.
"The message is not that everyone should go enroll in yoga
tomorrow," she said. "The message is that if you've tried for five or
six months and you aren't getting anywhere, maybe you should look at your
lifestyle and think about whether or not stress might be a problem for
you.
And if it is, you might want to consider a stress-management
program."
The authors said this is the first U.S. study to show a possible
association between a stress indicator and how long it takes a woman to become
pregnant.
Dr. Suleena Kansal Kalra is a reproductive endocrinology and
infertility specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. She called the new
research "a great first step -- it's presenting a way to measure
[indicators] of stress."
"Part of the challenge is that we don't have validated
[indicators] of stress hormones or validated questionnaires that measure
stress, so the next step is that we really need to start validating some of
these tools," said Kalra, who was not involved with the new research.
"Ultimately, we want to know how we can measure stress, and
then, can we intervene?"
Exactly how stress affects fertility is not well understood,
Lynch said. The study's authors said the women in the group with higher levels
of the stress-related enzyme had sex about as often as those in the low-level
group, so frequency of intercourse did not play a role.
Kalra said some women stop ovulating during stressful times,
while others conceive in high-stress environments.
Lynch said the researchers have also collected data on men but
have not yet analyzed it, so it's not yet clear how much a man's stress might
influence a couple's fertility.
Women struggling with infertility who have stressful lifestyles
should not blame themselves, Lynch said. "I don't want women to see this
in the news and say, 'It's my fault I'm not pregnant,'" she said. "We
know stress is not the major indicator of whether or not you're going to get
pregnant."
Kalra agreed, noting that, "Age is the No. 1 factor linked
to the inability to conceive. Mother Nature is cruel and unfair. All our
success rates are better in women under 35. That does not mean every woman in
her late 30s is going to be infertile, but age is the greatest predictor of
success."
She added that cigarette smoking is "absolutely associated
with a decrease in the ability to become pregnant," and obesity is
beginning to be looked at as well.
Kalra is launching a fertility wellness program this spring at
Penn that will combine yoga, meditation, nutrition counseling and a psychologist-led
support group to help women who are hoping to become pregnant.
"Not being able to start your family when you're ready to
do so can create a lot of stress for couples, particularly women," Kalra
said.
"I'm not sure stress is an underlying cause of infertility,
and I often find it counterproductive to tell women if they're a little less
stressed they would become pregnant," she said. "We don't know if
that's true. I generally say, 'I want you to feel as good as possible when
you're embarking on the journey to have a family.' "
More information
To learn more about reducing stress, visit the U.S. National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
SOURCES: Courtney Lynch, Ph.D., M.P.H., director, reproductive
epidemiology, and assistant professor, obstetrics and gynecology and
epidemiology, Ohio State University College of Medicine; Suleena Kansal Kalra,
M.D., M.S.C.E., assistant professor, obstetrics and gynecology, and director,
fertility wellness program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; March 24,
2014, Human Reproduction, online
---
Lynch CD, Sundaram R, Maisog JM, Sweeney AM, Buck Louis
GM.Preconception stress increases the risk of infertility: results from a
couple-based prospective cohort study--the LIFE study. Hum Reprod. 2014 Mar 23.
[Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION: Are women's stress levels prospectively
associated with fecundity and infertility?
SUMMARY ANSWER: Higher levels of stress as measured by salivary
alpha-amylase are associated with a longer time-to-pregnancy (TTP) and an
increased risk of infertility.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Data suggest that stress and reproduction
are interrelated; however, the directionality of that association is unclear.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: In 2005-2009, we enrolled 501
couples in a prospective cohort study with preconception enrollment at two
research sites (Michigan and Texas, USA). Couples were followed for up to 12
months as they tried to conceive and through pregnancy if it occurred. A total
of 401 (80%) couples completed the study protocol and 373 (93%) had complete
data available for this analysis.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Enrolled women
collected saliva the morning following enrollment and then the morning
following their first observed study menses for the measurement of cortisol and
alpha-amylase, which are biomarkers of stress. TTP was measured in cycles.
Covariate data were captured on both a baseline questionnaire and daily
journals.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Among the 401 (80%) women
who completed the protocol, 347 (87%) became pregnant and 54 (13%) did not.
After adjustment for female age, race, income, and use of alcohol, caffeine and
cigarettes while trying to conceive, women in the highest tertile of
alpha-amylase exhibited a 29% reduction in fecundity (longer TTP) compared with
women in the lowest tertile [fecundability odds ratios (FORs) = 0.71; 95%
confidence interval (CI) = (0.51, 1.00); P < 0.05]. This reduction in
fecundity translated into a >2-fold increased risk of infertility among
these women [relative risk (RR) = 2.07; 95% CI = (1.04, 4.11)]. In contrast, we
found no association between salivary cortisol and fecundability.
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Due to fiscal and logistical
concerns, we were unable to collect repeated saliva samples and perceived
stress questionnaire data throughout the duration of follow-up. Therefore, we
were unable to examine whether stress levels increased as women continued to
fail to get pregnant. Our ability to control for potential confounders using
time-varying data from the daily journals, however, minimizes residual
confounding.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first US study
to demonstrate a prospective association between salivary stress biomarkers and
TTP, and the first in the world to observe an association with infertility.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was supported by
the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (contracts #N01-HD-3-3355,
N01-HD-3-3356, N01-HD-3358). There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
---
Augner C, Hacker GW. Are people living next to mobile phone base
stations more strained? Relationship of health concerns, self-estimated
distance to base station, and psychological parameters. Indian J Occup Environ
Med. 2009 Dec;13(3):141-5. doi: 10.4103/0019-5278.58918.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coeval with the expansion of mobile phone
technology and the associated obvious presence of mobile phone base stations,
some people living close to these masts reported symptoms they attributed to
electromagnetic fields (EMF). Public and scientific discussions arose with
regard to whether these symptoms were due to EMF or were nocebo effects. The
aim of this study was to find out if people who believe that they live close to
base stations show psychological or psychobiological differences that would
indicate more strain or stress. Furthermore, we wanted to detect the relevant
connections linking self-estimated distance between home and the next mobile
phone base station (DBS), daily use of mobile phone (MPU), EMF-health concerns,
electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and psychological strain parameters.
DESIGN, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven participants
completed standardized and non-standardized questionnaires that focused on the
relevant parameters. In addition, saliva samples were used as an indication to
determine the psychobiological strain by concentration of alpha-amylase,
cortisol, immunoglobulin A (IgA), and substance P.
RESULTS: Self-declared base station neighbors (DBS </=
100 meters) had significantly higher concentrations of alpha-amylase in their
saliva, higher rates in symptom checklist subscales (SCL) somatization,
obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, phobic anxiety, and global strain index PST
(Positive Symptom Total). There were no differences in EMF-related health
concern scales.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that self-declared base station
neighbors are more strained than others. EMF-related health concerns cannot
explain these findings. Further research should identify if actual EMF exposure
or other factors are responsible for these results.
--
Augner C, Hacker GW, Oberfeld G, Florian M, Hitzl W, Hutter J,
Pauser G. Effects of exposure to GSM mobile phone base station signals on
salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and immunoglobulin A. Biomed Environ Sci.
2010 Jun;23(3):199-207. doi: 10.1016/S0895-3988(10)60053-0.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to test whether exposure to
radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phone base
stations may have effects on salivary alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A (IgA),
and cortisol levels.
METHODS: Fifty seven participants were randomly allocated to one
of three different experimental scenarios (22 participants to scenario 1, 26 to
scenario 2, and 9 to scenario 3). Each participant went through five 50-minute
exposure sessions. The main RF-EMF source was a GSM-900-MHz antenna located at
the outer wall of the building. In scenarios 1 and 2, the first, third, and
fifth sessions were "low" (median power flux density 5.2 microW/m(2))
exposure. The second session was "high" (2126.8 microW/m(2)), and the
fourth session was "medium" (153.6 microW/m(2)) in scenario 1, and
vice versa in scenario 2. Scenario 3 had four "low" exposure
conditions, followed by a "high" exposure condition. Biomedical
parameters were collected by saliva samples three times a session. Exposure
levels were created by shielding curtains.
RESULTS: In scenario 3 from session 4 to session 5 (from
"low" to "high" exposure), an increase of cortisol was
detected, while in scenarios 1 and 2, a higher concentration of alpha-amylase
related to the baseline was identified as compared to that in scenario 3. IgA
concentration was not significantly related to the exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: RF-EMF in considerably lower field densities than
ICNIRP-guidelines may influence certain psychobiological stress markers.
---
Nazıroğlu M, Yüksel M, Köse SA, Özkaya MO. Recent reports of
Wi-Fi and mobile phone-induced radiation on oxidative stress and reproductive
signaling pathways in females and males.J Membr Biol. 2013 Dec;246(12):869-75.
doi: 10.1007/s00232-013-9597-9. Epub 2013 Oct 9.
Abstract
Environmental exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) has
been increasing with the increasing demand for communication devices. The aim
of the study was to discuss the mechanisms and risk factors of EMR changes on
reproductive functions and membrane oxidative biology in females and males. It
was reported that even chronic exposure to EMR did not increase the risk of
reproductive functions such as increased levels of neoantigens abort. However,
the results of some studies indicate that EMR induced endometriosis and
inflammation and decreased the number of follicles in the ovarium or uterus of
rats. In studies with male rats, exposure caused degeneration in the
seminiferous tubules, reduction in the number of Leydig cells and testosterone
production as well as increases in luteinizing hormone levels and apoptotic
cells. In some cases of male and female infertility, increased levels of
oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation and decreased values of antioxidants
such as melatonin, vitamin E and glutathione peroxidase were reported in
animals exposed to EMR. In conclusion, the results of current studies indicate
that oxidative stress from exposure to Wi-Fi and mobile phone-induced EMR is a
significant mechanism affecting female and male reproductive systems. However,
there is no evidence to this date to support an increased risk of female and
male infertility related to EMR exposure.
Conclusions
.. EMR exposure from Wi-Fi and mobile phones is related to
oxidative stress and overproduction of free oxygen radicals in female and male
infertility. Use of mobile phones and wireless devices has been increasing day
by day. There are very scarce data on Wi-Fi-induced reproductive dysfunction in
female and male individuals. However, carcinogenic and proliferative effects of
mobile phones (Kim et al. 2010) and Wi-Fi (Kumar et al. 2011; Kesari et al.
2011; Nazırog˘lu et al. 2012b) have been reported in animals and cell culture
systems, although there is no report on Wi-Fi- or mobile phone-induced cancer
in reproductive tissues of female and male individuals. In the future, the role
of EMR from mobile phones and wireless devices in female and male fertility
should be investigated.
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