Mental Health

Cell Phones May Be Making Men Impotent

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Apr 04, 2014 05:28 PM EDT

Cell phones are making men impotent, new findings suggest.

The latest study reveals that men who cling to their cell phones are more likely to have problems in the bedroom. Researchers found that men who hold their cell phones for more than four hours a day are significantly more likely to experience erectile dysfunction compared to those who use their phones for less than two hours.

Researchers noted that more studies are needed to understand how cell phones affect human health. The latest study involved 20 men who had experienced problems with erectile function in the half year before the study, and 10 healthy men with no history of impotence. Researchers said that there were no significant differences in age, weight, height and smoking habits between the two groups. Men in both groups also had similar levels of total testosterone, and spent a similar amount of time talking on their phones.

Researchers noted that the biggest difference was the length of time men carried "switched-on" cell phones in their pockets or hands.

All participants filled out the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and were assessed based on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). The men were also asked to complete surveys about their cell phone use.

The findings revealed that men who suffered from impotence carried their cell phones for a "significantly longer time" than the healthy men in the control group. Men in the impotence group held their phones for 4.4 hours a day compared to those in the healthy group who carried their phones for 1.8 hours a day.

"This prospective pilot study showed that there may be a relation between cell phone usage and erectile dysfunction (ED)," lead author Badereddin Mohamad Al-Ali and his team wrote in the study.

"Men with ED use their phones longer than men without ED, [and] men who have ED carry their switched-on cell phones significantly longer than men who do not have ED," he said. "Our study showed the total time of exposure to the cell phone is much more important than the relatively short duration of intense exposure during phone calls."

The findings are published in the Central European Journal of Urology

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