Male fertility (search) may be affected by perching laptop computers on the lap, according to a new study.
Balancing laptop computers on the lap raises the scrotums temperature (search), say researchers including Yefim Sheynkin, MD, FACS, of the urology department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
About 15-20 percent of couples that want to get pregnant arent able to conceive. Many of those cases trace back to issues relating to the male. Gradually declining sperm production has been noted in recent decades, say the researchers.
Elevated scrotal temperatures have been linked to male infertility. Many factors can raise scrotal temperature, including hot baths, saunas, and tight jockey shorts.
Laptop computers may also belong on that list, say Sheynkins team. They studied 29 healthy young men ages 21 to 35 for two, one-hour sessions in a climate-controlled room.
Participants were all similarly dressed in casual clothes. After having their body temperature taken and standing in the room for 15 minutes to adjust to the rooms temperature, they sat down and were given working or nonworking laptop computers.
