Cell phone radiation impacts hormone levels and ovary development in rats

Cell phone radiation impacts hormone levels and ovary development in rats
Environmental Health Sciences Staff, May 28, 2025

According to a recent study published in Reproductive Sciences, rats exposed to cell phone radiation while in the womb experienced significant impacts to key elements of their reproductive health.

In short:

• Prenatal exposure to cell phone radiation caused a decrease in rats’ estrogen and progesterone hormone levels.
• Exposure also affected the size of the rats’ ovaries and reduced the number of developing follicles (which are critical in the development of eggs).
• Impacts to the ovaries were higher in rats exposed for longer periods of time.

Key quote:

“These findings highlight the potential risks of exposure to mobile phone radiation during pregnancy and emphasize the importance of further research to understand the long-term effects on neonatal health.”

Why this matters:

This research expands on the body of scientific evidence linking cell phone and wireless radiation exposure to reproductive impacts. Multiple studies have reported similar fertility outcomes in rats, including decreased estrogen and progesterone levels, a reduction in ovarian follicles, and follicular degeneration. While these studies point to the potential for impacts to ovarian development in humans from prenatal exposure, U.S. regulations remain outdated and many experts caution that federal safety limits, which are not designed to address long-term exposures, are not sufficient to protect public health, particularly during pregnancy and childhood.

Risks to Babies Exposed to Radiofrequency Radiation from Wireless Technologies

Do not use a cell phone near a baby's head!

Risks to babies exposed to radiofrequency radiation from wireless technologies

On 28 June 2017, we sent this message to the person responsible for the mid-wife team at Geneva’s University Hospital (HUG) and to the Swiss Federation of Mid-Wives. The information comes from articles published recently on the subject in French (media, health sites, consumer associations). For the English translation, we have added recommendations and resources.

Risks to babies exposed to radiofrequency radiation from wireless technologies

Dear Madam,

We have read with interest the article « Quand le smartphone fait de l’ombre au bébé » [“When the smartphone overshadows the baby” – about the use of smartphones in delivery rooms], published by the Tribune de Genève on 15 June 2017.

We encourage mid-wives to raise awareness of young parents of the risks of exposure of their babies to electromagnetic (EM) radiation emitted by wireless technologies (cell phones, tablets, baby monitors, Wi-Fi, connected toys, smart meters…) not only during the mother and newborn’s stay at the hospital but also afterwards at home. This radiation was classified in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans. The awareness-raising could take place at the maternity hospital during the stay of the mother and newborn and in the form of a brochure including risks during pregnancy and after the birth of the child. It could recommend precautionary measures to reduce exposure of babies and young children to EM radiation.

Information and recommendations :

Why Pregnant Women Should Take Drastic Steps to Lower EMF Exposure During Pregnancy

Why Pregnant Women Should Take Drastic Steps to Lower EMF Exposure During Pregnancy
By Dr. Joseph Mercola, posted on childrenshealthdefense.org, 6 February 2024

Microwave radiation from cellphones, Wi-Fi routers and similar devices concentrate twentyfold in the womb, meaning whatever the reading is outside the womb, the measurement will be 20 times higher inside the mother, according to Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D.

Story at a glance:

• According to Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D., women should take drastic steps to lower their electromagnetic field, or EMF exposure during pregnancy to reduce the risk of having an autistic child.
• Microwave radiation from cellphones, Wi-Fi routers and similar devices concentrate twentyfold in the womb, meaning whatever the reading is outside the womb, the measurement will be 20 times higher inside the mother.
• Klinghardt found the average exposure of an autistic child to high-frequency electric fields from household currents and microwaves from cellphones and other wireless technologies was twentyfold higher than that of non-autistic children.
• Nonionizing cellphone microwave radiation has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and infertility, especially in men, both of which, like autism, are rocketing skyward in terms of prevalence.
• One of the best strategies is to eliminate exposure to extremely low frequency, or ELF electric fields during sleep, as this is the most important time for your brain. Details on how to do this, as well as many other remediation strategies, are discussed.

Study: "Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Abortion in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"

30 October 2023 study: "Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Abortion in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis", published online in the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, doi: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.5.6

Link to study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10624444/

Conclusion: " It is hoped that the results of this study will increase awareness of healthcare providers, such as gynaecologists and midwives, about the adverse effects of electromagnetic waves on pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. In this way, pregnant women will be encouraged to protect themselves from exposure to electromagnetic waves. Pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy counseling on the proper way to limit exposure to electromagnetic waves from electrical appliances and devices, mobile phones and the internet may reduce the risk of spontaneous abortions."

Mobile phones cause DNA damage in the placenta and umbilical cord

In a new study, researchers show that mobile phone use during pregnancy increases the incidence of oxidative stress and DNA damage in umbilical cord blood and placenta from women who have just given birth. The researchers also report that the negative effects are amplified by simultaneous exposure to WiFi. Researcher and cancer physician Lennart Hardell estimates that the results indicate that mobile use during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects and diseases. (Ref: "Mobiler orsakar DNA-skador i moderkaka och navelsträng" - "Mobile phones cause DNA damage in the placenta and umbilical cord"):

https://www.stralskyddsstiftelsen.se/2020/03/mobiler-orsakar-dna-skador-oxidativ-stress-hos-gravida-kvinnor/

Comparison of effects of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and mobile phone exposure on human placenta and cord blood
Hava Bektas,Suleyman Dasdag &Mehmet Selcuk Bektas
Pages 154-162 | Received 28 Sep 2019, Accepted 31 Jan 2020, Published online: 11 Feb 2020

Abstract

A Concerning New Study Links Miscarriages to Cellphone Radiation. How Worried Should We Be?

Good article on the Kaiser Permanente study.

A concerning new study links miscarriages to cellphone radiation. How worried should we be?
By Julia Belluz @juliaoftoronto julia.belluz@voxmedia.com, 15 February 2018

Non-ionizing radiation may have more of a biological effect than we thought.

(Photo): The vast majority of miscarriages are caused by genetic factors — but environmental factors are also believed to play a significant role. Getty Images

There’s emerging evidence that exposure to one type of radiation from cellphones and other devices might be linked to a major adverse health outcome in women: miscarriages.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports found a strong link between higher levels of exposure to a type of radiation called magnetic field non-ionizing radiation and higher risk of miscarriage in a group of nearly 1,000 women living in the Bay Area of California.

Specifically, the researchers, from Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, found that a woman’s miscarriage risk rose from 10 percent to 24 percent as she was exposed to higher levels of magnetic field non-ionizing radiation.

Can Cell Phones Cause Female Infertility?

"Men typically produce sperm cells in their billions. Which in a sense makes sperm expendable.  But all the eggs that a woman can have in her ovaries are there before she was born and are irreplaceable.  For this reason I believe that the damage to women’s ovaries is way more catastrophic. Women and expectant mothers must be made aware of these dangers and must protect themselves."

Can Cell Phones Cause Female Infertility?
by Lloyd Burrell, electricsense.com, 13 January 2018

It’s estimated that there are over 48 million infertile couples worldwide [1]. Approximately 35% of women and 45% of men worldwide are considered to have reduced fertility (to be sub-fertile) and about 7% of women and men are effectively infertile [2,3].

If male fertility problems are considered central in about 40% of couples experiencing child bearing hurdles [4], we can deduce that a staggering 60% is due to female infertility.

What could be the cause of these high rates of female infertility?

Cell Phone Radiation Dangers

Why Should Pregnant Women Limit Their Mobile Phone Use?

Why should pregnant women limit their mobile phone use?
by SMJ Mortazavi, linkedin.com, July 13, 2017

Effects of radiofrequency exposure emitted from a GSM mobile phone on proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of neural stem cells

Mahsa Eghlidospour, Amir Ghanbari,4 Seyyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi, and Hassan Azari

Anat Cell Biol. 2017 Jun;50(2):115-123. English.
Published online June 27, 2017. 

Full Text

Take home notes (ADHD and Autism concerns):

1. The findings of our new study published in "Anatomy and Cell Biology" journal shows that exposure to GSM 900 MHz mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) decreases the proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs).

2. Decreased neuronal differentiation in NSCs was also observed in cells exposed to RF-EMF.

3. Exposure to GSM 900 MHz RF-EMF does not influence NSCs viability and apoptosis.

4. Active neurogenesis from the stem cells occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy, which could possibly get affected by accumulating dose of exposure to mobile phone RF-EMF.

5. Further research is needed to verify if exposure to mobile phone RF-EMF during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased susceptibility to disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism in the offspring .

Mobile Phones in the Delivery Room

Excellent article from German-speaking Switzerland.

Mobile phones in the delivery room
by Carmen Roshard, Redaktorin Zurich,
tagesanzeiger.ch, 1st June 2017

The overburdening use of the smartphone at the time of birth gets increasingly stressful. Experts warn about the consequences for the development of newborns.

The woman is in labor, the child is coming soon, in the baby's room everything is ready for the reception of the new baby. Also the smartphone. When it starts, one thinks one is part of a documentary film, the expectant father filming from all sides, standing in the way, so that the midwife can hardly do her work.  When the child is born, the mother's mobile phone will soon be activated. For half of the new mothers, says an experienced midwife, the smartphone comes into play after only ten to fifteen minutes.

The phenomenon is widespread to an increasing extent in every birth department. Experts are worried, also at the women's clinic of the Triemlispital. "We encounter the problem every day and gave the team a reason to discuss it," says Gabriella Stocker, deputy head physician of the women's clinic. "Parents often take a photo of the child after birth, before they even look at it," she says. The first contact with the child is thereby disturbed. In  mothers' wards, the mothers are also more likely to look at the hand-held display instead of the newborn child. That is why a lunch break was introduced at the mother's child station in the women's ward of the hospital. No visits, no medically or urgently necessary measures to disturb the mother-child relationship. A media-free window should also be established and recommended. "We're trying to sensitize women," says Stocker.

Experts Warn Pregnant Mothers to Keep Cell Phones and Other Wireless Devices Away from Their Wombs

Experts warn pregnant mothers to keep cell phones and other wireless devices away from their wombs
by Lloyd Burrell, blogs.naturalnews.com,
10 August 2015

A new public awareness initiative has brought together more than one hundred doctors, scientific experts and non-profit organizations from around the world to collectively express their grave concern about the risks that wireless radiation exposures pose to pregnancy. The Baby Safe Project, the brainchild of two non-profit organizations, is essentially an awareness movement for pregnant mothers to keep cell phones away from their wombs.

Patricia Wood, Executive Director of Grassroots Environmental Education and co-creator of the BabySafe Project says, “The wireless world may be convenient, but it’s not without risks.” She goes on to explain that “when more than one hundred of the world’s leading medical doctors and researchers on wireless radiation say we have enough evidence for women to take protective action, we think women should know about it.”

India: Dr. Devra Davis Talks About the Baby Safe Project to Protect Wombs from Radiation

U.S.-based anti-radiation expert
Dr. Devra Davis explains advantages
of using hands-free headsets with
cell phones  (Sakshi Kapoor)

Baby Safe Project to protect wombs from radiation
by Maitri Porecha, dnaindia.com, 3 October 2014

There is increasing evidence that electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones or cell towers can be harmful to expectant mothers and their unborn child. Eminent public health expert and published author from the US Dr Devra Davis explained that babies in the womb were susceptible to exposure from cell phones, cell phone towers or wireless internet.

Scientists at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studied 13,000 mothers and children and found that exposure to cell phones in the wombs was associated with higher risk for behavioural problems and hyperactivity in children.

Over the last week, Davis met with the doctors of Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) and KEM hospital to discuss the Baby Safe Project, an awareness movement for pregnant mothers to keep cell phones away from their wombs.

Up to 4,500 pregnant women seeking treatment at the hospital attached to the Yale University have been educated about the ill effects of radiation on the womb, since the beginning of the year under the Baby Safe Project.

Third Paris Appeal International Congress on Children's Health and the Environment: The Foetus, First Victim of Pollution

This article was published by Metro France, April 12, 2011 and is translated from French.

Diseases related to the environment originate from pregnancy. Explanations and prevention tips:

Cancer, reduced fertility, diabetes, asthma ... most of the diseases that affect adults originate at the fetal stage, and are linked to environmental pollution, according to studies presented at the third congress of the Paris Appeal on children's health at UNESCO (12-13 April 2011).

The Paris Appeal, signed by thousands of scientists and citizens in 2004, establishes the link between development of cancer and environmental degradation.  Although the conference targeted chemical pollution (pesticides, phthalates, bisphenol, etc.), it was also interested in electromagnetic waves and radioactivity.