Susan Lennon MSW, LCSW Content Strategist
Communications Consultant
Specializing in Thought Leadership and B2B/B2C Marketing Communications
 

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Laptops and Infertility
USA Weekend Magazine, January 21, 2005
by Susan T. Lennon

Hey, guys ... If you use your knees to support your laptop, you might just want to stop. Researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook report that even an hour of laptop computer (LC) use might compromise your fertility ability.

Clamping your thighs together to balance the machine, combined with the 158-degree-plus Fahrenheit heat it emits, jacks up your scrotal temperature an average of five degrees -- enough to make your sperm infirm. For reproduction, optimal testicular temperature is 91.4 to 95 degrees F. After a mere fifteen minutes of tapping on your lap, the heat is really on, increasing by two to five degrees -- enough to cut your sperm count by 40%.

"Until further studies provide more information," says Yefim R. Sheynkin, M.D., leading author of the study and director of male infertility at the hospital, "Teenage boys and young men should avoid using LCs on their laps."

Since it's not known whether placing a barrier between the LC and your lap would make a difference, maintain your macho crotch by laying your laptop on a desk, counter, or couch.


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