Always glued to your laptop? Beware of infertility

Neck pain, vision fatigue, carpel tunnel syndrome... Most of us who use laptops for prolonged periods of time know of the health hazards it can cause, if not through general awareness then often through personal experience. But as the impact on our reproductive system would have no visible symptoms or strong tangible indications, one may not realise the damage until one is planning a family, by which time it would be too late.

The popularity of laptops is related to the very fact that they offer mobility as they are light and can be placed anywhere. As per International Data Corporation, a market research firm, laptops formed close to 60 per cent of the share of personal computers purchased in India last year. And it goes without saying, most of us invariably tend to place them on our laps.

Such manner of usage is of concern and especially for men, who share 40–50 per cent burden of infertility. Explaining the correlation, consulting obstetrician, gynaecologist and infertility expert Dr Parzan Mistry says, "Although testes produce sperm, optimal functioning depends on temperature regulation of the testes, done by the scrotum. Studies have shown as much as 40 per cent drop in sperm count with 1°C median daytime rise in scrotal temperature. When laptops are placed on the lap, the heat emanated – 43°C to 47°C, which is the temperature of most current notebooks – gets absorbed by the genitalia, significantly increasing scrotal temperature and thereby the risk of infertility".

One of the most prominent studies on this subject was conducted by Dr Yefim Sheynkin at the department of the Urology at the State University of New York (2004). For two, one-hour sessions in a climate-controlled room, 29 healthy young men were asked to sit with the laptops on their laps. Some were given non-working laptops and some working. Their scrotal temperature was recorded every three minutes. While the scrotal temperature rose in both cases, those with non-working computers saw a temperature of 2.1°C, where those with working computers saw it reach 2.7°C.

Similar studies were published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility in 2011 by Dr Conrado Avendaño et al, European Journal of Human Reproduction (20th edition) by Dr Michael Jung, and most recently Cleveland University's Department of Reproductive Health in 2017.

Another cause of infertility discovered recently is a chemical called BPA (Bisphenol A), an organic synthetic compound found in various plastic devices and raw materials used to make laptops. "High BPA exposure is linked with low sperm count and poor sperm quality in men. It is also linked with hormonal dysfunctions, abnormalities of oocyte (female gamete) that results in genetic defects and recurrent abortions in women. The chemical compound mimics the female hormone estrogen that causes various hormonal imbalances in the body, hampering the normal reproductive function," says Dr Mistry.

While the scientific community, including fertility experts such as Dr Steven J Sondheimer of the University of Pennsylvania, insist that a lot more studies need to be conducted to prove results of both causes, it's better to be safe than sorry. The next time you decide to use a laptop, "keep it on a table whenever possible or in its absence use lap pads or laptop cooling pads available in the markets. Taking frequent breaks while using them is also recommended," he says.