Keeping your laptop on your lap isn’t a major risk to your fertility

I sometimes worry about my eggs, especially when I sit with a laptop on my lap, aka over my ovaries. Maybe you worry about your eggs, too, or your sperm, when you’re lounging with your laptop. So can laptops affect our fertility? The answer is mostly no.

The majority of doctors I’ve talked to say laptops definitely won’t affect women’s fertility and likely won’t have a major impact on male fertility. However, at least one doctor, Michael Eisenberg, a urologist and professor at Stanford, says the external heat a laptop produces poses a minor risk to men. If men are worried about their viable sperm count, it might be worth foregoing laptops on their lap and using a desk instead. It probably won’t be the main cause of fertility issues, but it could factor in if someone is already experiencing issues conceiving.

All doctors cite a study that showed that men who frequently sit in hot tubs will experience a decrease in viable sperm. Our laptops aren’t getting as hot as a hot tub, so doctors don’t worry about the external heat from the laptop. Women’s ovaries, on the other hand, are tucked into the body and aren’t as reactive to external heat. So women, we’re good for now. Men, maybe use a desk if you’re worried. But if not, keep on living like you do.