Laptops can cause male infertility?

Okay, first it was cell phones’ radio signals that could threaten your chances of becoming a father, now laptops and the heat they generate!

This is a stern warning from reproductive specialist Suzanne Kavic, MD from the Loyola University Health System (LUHS):

“However, the heat generated from laptops can impact sperm production and development making it difficult to conceive down the road.”
Kavic recommends placing laptops on desktops to prevent damaging sperm and decreasing counts and motility.

I’m really concerned because at full use, my Compaq c765TU really heats up! It’s the reason I rarely use it on my lap and I’ve been on the hunt for a good cooling pad.

With laptops and netbooks becoming more common nowadays, it would be interesting to see if there would be a stronger correlation of male infertility and laptop use. If this trend does become more prevalent, laptop cooling tools and gadgets would be more in demand. More so, laptop makers should improve cooling systems for their products and create new models that produce less heat. Your new rig may be thin, ultra-portable, has a kick-ass chip and graphics, Wi-Fi and all the connections, but it could be roasting your nuts (literally!) to oblivion each time you use it on your lap.

Just to make sure, Dr Kavic shares more tips to protect male fertility:

• Avoiding hot tubs
• Wearing boxers instead of briefs
• Refraining from ejaculating too frequently (the recommendation is to only engage in sexual intercourse every other day around ovulation)
• Exercising moderately (one hour, three to five times per week)
• Avoiding exercise that can generate heat or trauma to the genital area
• Eating well
• Taking a daily multivitamin
• Getting eight hours of sleep per night
• Staying hydrated and limiting caffeine to no more than two cups per day
• Refraining from smoking
• Avoiding drugs and excessive alcohol use
• Minimizing exposure to toxins
• Avoiding excessive weight gain or weight loss
• Practicing stress reduction techniques

Modern technology is indeed a double-edged sword. You get so many uses and advantages from it on one hand, it can do you serious harm on the other. Loosing one’s ability to reproduce is one thing that’s definitely not cool!

Now I suppose, is the right time to really invest in a laptop cooling pad and start living healthy. Don’t you agree?

Via Science Daily

Tagged as: Health risks, Male fertility