Effect of Cellular Phone on Fetal Heart Rate Patterns

There are reports showing that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted at non-thermal levels may be associated with biological alterations in target cells. In this study it is objected to assess the potential influences of EMFs produced by cellular phones on fetal heart rate. Non Stress Test (NST) is a widely used method of fetal monitoring and assessing fetal health and well-being. Sixty volunteers with uncomplicated term pregnancies were studied by a Spacelabs AM-67 Doppler ultrasound monitor. Fetal Heart Rate recordings were obtained while there were no Cellular Phone around for 10 minutes. Afterwards, all patients were exposed to EMFs for 10 minutes. NST was performed while they were holding the CP on stand-by mode and then on dialing mode, each for 5 minutes. The recordings were analyzed with respect to baseline heart rate, accelerations and decelerations. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test was used to compare these variables. The results indicate that EMFs emitted by CP do not cause any demonstrable effects on baseline FHR, acceleration or deceleration.