ABSTRACT
Considerable attention is focused on the effects of the electromagnetic field [EMF] due to its wide-ranging use in everyday life. Appliances and various equipments are sources of electromagnetic fields with a wide-range of technical characteristics. In this study we investigated the effect of EMF [50 Hz, 0.5 mT] on fertility and mouse gonads in preimplantation. Materials and Methods: Eighty female mice were divided in to 2 groups the control group was not exposed to EMF, while the case group was exposed to 4 hours per day, to 50 Hz and 0.5 mT EMF 6 days a week, for 2 weeks. On the 8th day of exposure, female mice in both groups were superovoulated and mated overnight. Next morning females with a vaginal plug were identified as pregnant mice at the time of implantation, the pregnant mice were sacrificed and blastocysts were subsequently obtained from these mice by flushing the uterus horns. The samples of ovaries in all groups were taken and were processed for light microscopic studies, and the data was compared using t-test [SPSS, considering, and P < 0.05], significant. Results: The mean number of pregnant mice decreased in the EMF group [50%] as compared to the control group [67.5%], difference not significant. The mean number of fetuses per pregnancy was 9 +/- 4.8 in the control group and 5.5 +/- 5.7 in the experimental group, with significant decrease between the means of the 2 groups [P < 0.03]. The analysis of the size of monolayer primary follicle in the EMF exposed groups did not show significant decrease compared to the control group [12.33 +/- 1.53, 12.17 +/- 1.79 and P>0.810]. Although the total number of follicles, number of monolayer primary follicles and corpus luteum, increased in comparison to control group following there was no significant differences between them. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the EMF, following short periods of exposure, has negative effects on female mice fertility, whereas histological studies showed no changes in ovaries