Using Cellphones While Pregnant Won’t Harm Baby

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Using a cellphone while pregnant probably isn’t going to have any negative effects on the baby’s brain development, says a study published in BMC Public Health. The new study, which was based on data from a large study of Norwegian moms-to-be, supports other studies which also found no link between using cellphones when pregnant and neurodevelopment in children.

 “The concern for harm to the fetus caused by radio frequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by mobile phones, is mainly driven by reports from experimental animal studies with inconsistent results,” said lead author Dr. Eleni Papadopoulou.  

“Even though this is an observational study, our findings do not support the hypothesis of adverse effects on child’s language, communication, and motor skills due to the use of mobile phones during pregnancy.”

Researchers examined data collected during and after pregnancy on 45,389 mother-child pairs and the results of the study were based on the mother’s self-reported cellphone use and neurodevelopment follow-ups of the children at ages 3 and 5.

The study found that the children of mothers who used cellphones actually had fewer neurodevelopmental problems than children whose moms didn’t use cellphones at all, although the researchers attributed the gains to factors unrelated to cellphone use.

“Our large study provides evidence that pregnant women’s use of cell phones is not associated with risk of harming neurodevelopment of the fetus,” said senior author Jan Alexander from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

“Our findings should alleviate any concern mothers have about using their mobile phone while pregnant.”

One previous study found disturbing links between cellphones and brain development. An animal study conducted at Yale University found that cellphones caused changes in brain development that could cause hyperactivity.

“We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by cellphone exposure in the womb,” said senior researcher Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, a reproductive specialist. “The rise in behavioral disorders in human children may be in part due to fetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure.”

Several studies have also linked cellphones and cancer. A study published in the journal Pathophysiology, found that people who used the phones the most doubled their risk of being diagnosed with glioma, a deadly form of brain cancer. Another study found a link between women who carried cellphones in their bras and breast cancer.