The new year might bring about thoughts of new beginnings. But creating a new life is a lot easier said than done these days, with estimates suggesting that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 couples are having problems conceiving. These rates are a dramatic increase on the infertility rates of our parents and grandparents. Of course many people are leaving having a family until their thirties or older, and certainly that plays a part in conception difficulties. But what else is it about our lives today which is taking its toll on our fertility?
Keeping phones, switched on, anywhere on our person at all is really not a good idea . In ‘active mode’ they are irradiating, or ‘zapping’, the soft tissues of our body. When phones are kept in trouser pockets this places them critically close to reproductive organs – the testes of men and ovaries of women. Bearing in mind that girls are born with all the eggs they will ever have, with no ability to generate any new ones, it is vital that these are protected throughout life if we want to ensure a next generation. For men, research shows us that sperm motility, that is how easily they swim, can be severely compromised by irradiation.
Take a look at this talk from Dr Erica Mallory-Blythe if you remain unconvinced – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFdZVeXw7M
When I talk to people about some of these issues they are frequently amazed that signals from mobile devices can travel through walls and ceilings. How do they think these things work?! And if signals can get through solid building structures, imagine how easily they can penetrate the tissues of the body.
In the run up to Christmas I saw an episode of Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two, which showed a professional dancer modelling some of her dresses and storing her phone seemingly inside of her bra. There have been cases of reported tumours in women’s breasts aligning with the shape of a mobile phone. I wrote to the BBC about this but so far have had no reply. I’m not going to get one. With such an influential TV program, on one of the leading TV stations, portraying apparent glamour associated with keeping your phone close to your body, inside clothing, the issue of raising public awareness about the risks of such behaviour remains a monumental task.