Mobile Phone Use During Pregnancy: Which Association With Fetal Growth?

Authors: Nathalie Boileau, François Margueritte, Tristan Gauthier, Nedjma Boukeffa, Pierre-Marie Preux, Anaïs Labrunie, Yves Aubard

Year: 2020 Jul 2

Category: Epidemiology

Journal: J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod

Institution: Haute-Vienne

DOI: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2020.101852

URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32623065/

Abstract

Overview

The study explores the potential effects of electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones on fetal development, amid widespread mobile phone usage.

Material and Methods

Data was sourced from NéHaVi cohort, tracking intrauterine to 18-year development for children born in Haute-Vienne from April 2014 to April 2017.
The primary research focus was mobile phone use's impact on fetal growth, employing univariate and multivariate analysis models adjusted for maternal socioprofessional categories and other variables impacting fetal growth.

Findings

An analysis of 1,378 medical charts revealed that 99.3% of mothers used mobile phones during pregnancy, with a mean usage time of 29.8 minutes per day. Notably, higher mobile phone usage (>30 minutes/day) correlated with a higher likelihood of newborns scoring ≤ 10th percentile on the AUDIPOG scale, indicating a potential risk to fetal growth.

Conclusion

Extended mobile phone usage during pregnancy (over 30 minutes daily) may negatively affect fetal growth, suggesting a need for further prospective studies to investigate this link.

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