Men, cell phones down if you love babies! At least that is the conclusion drawn by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.

They evaluated 361 men being treated at the Cleveland Clinic’s fertility clinic in Ohio and found a strong association between cellular phone use and sperm quality. All of them were questioned about their cell phone habits.

The results of the research were surprising, as they indicated that the more hours that men spent on their phone daily, the more damage to their sperm. Men using cell phones for more than four hours each day had the lowest average sperm count and the fewest normal, viable sperm.

“Our results show a strong association of cell phone use with decreased semen quality. However, they do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship,” lead researcher Dr. Ashok Agarwal told Reuters Health.

He stated that he saw a “significant decrease in the most important measures of sperm health with cell phone use and that should definitely be reflected in a decrease in fertility.”

Dr. Agarwal added that there is no clear evidence in the way cell phones have a direct, damaging effect on men’s fertility. They only believe the electromagnetic energy emitted from cell phones could theoretically harm body tissue, particularly by damaging the male’s DNA.

The fact that cell phones have a damaging effect on our health has been the subject of several studies along the years. Researchers have linked the long-term use of cell phones with a higher risk of brain tumors too, although no clear connection had been made.

The findings were published in the January 2008 issue of the Fertility and Sterility journal.