Hot Topics. Reproductive Effects of EMF.
Visual Display Units and Pregnancy Outcome

A number of studies that investigated possible associations between work with video display terminals (VDTs) and pregnancy outcome have suffered from methodological problems, particularly small sample size and potential recall bias in assessing exposure and/or outcome. Researchers at the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Manchester reported the findings, in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, of a prospective study investigating whether adverse pregnancy outcome and infertility are more prevalent among VDT users, whether psychosocial factors are an important mediator of any such effect, and whether any difference cannot be explained by confounding factors. The authors concluded that, on balance, their results did not support the hypothesis that VDTs constitute a reproductive hazard. They found no evidence for what they considered the most likely mechanism by which VDTs may affect pregnancy, psychosocial stress. [BENER 10112]