What Are EMFs? 7 Things You Need to Know as a Mother

You probably hear about EMFs and its associated risks in the devices, content, and habits that we have, but what exactly does it mean? And what does it mean if you have children or are planning for a family?

In this article, you’ll learn what is EMFs and how they’re negatively affecting the health of children, in particular concerns around fertility, conception, birth and all through the crucial years of child development.

What are EMFs?

EMFs are invisible and completely beyond most people’s awareness. However, some people can actually feel them. Especially those that are manmade (non-native electromagnetic radiation).

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The simplest way to understand how important EMFs are to our health – is by learning about the electromagnetic spectrum.

contains the entire range of all electromagnetic radiation. It also shows the field’s approximate frequency – which relates to its wavelength.

At the absolute lowest frequencies in the hertz range, we see the largest wavelengths. These are the size of several thousand miles! The lowest of frequency fields includes the Earth’s Schumann Resonance, which is also very healing for us when we are grounded in Nature to its energy.

The higher in frequency, the field gains more energy, and also reduces in wavelength. (That’s why wireless radiation is often called pulse radiation to describe its very high energy field.) In fact, at the frequency of Wi-Fi, your body is being exposed to 2.4 or 5 billion pulsations per second. Compare that to the natural Schumann Resonance, which has just 8 gentle cycles per second.

EMFs may be triggering your child’s hungries

In healthy participants and compared with no exposure, 50-minute cell phone exposure was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the region closest to the antenna. Link to the study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/645813

Light can cause breast cancer

75 studies and articles showing effects of EMFs and the initiation and promotion of breast cancer.

https://emfrefugee.blogspot.com/2019/06/emfs-and-breast-cancer.html?m=1

2008 – Austria – Cell Phone Towers and CancerA study by Austrian Dr. Gerd Oberfeld (EMFacts 2008) showed a 23-fold increase in breast cancer and a 121-fold increase in brain tumors for those who lived with 200 meters of a cell phone base station for five years or longer! http://www.verwaltung.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/21212/DE/

EMFs may be harming your chances of conception

There’s enough compelling evidence to show how higher levels of exposure can reduce sperm quality in men.

It can also increase miscarriage risk in women. Two miscarriage studies, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, are particularly interesting because they're some of the only ones to date that actually measured EMF exposure in subjects using a magnetic field monitoring device.

"We took [913 pregnant women] and asked them to wear the monitor for the duration of their pregnancy. Studies right now aren't using the meters because most of them are focusing on cancer. [But] Cancer can take 20 years to develop—you can't measure your exposure from 20 years ago, so in those cases, you just ask how much the person uses their cell phone." — eproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, the principle investigator on both studies (one published in 2002, one published in 2017).

Singapore breast cancer statistics

What does your bedtime routine have to do with your breast cancer risk?

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Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women anywhere you're from. In Singapore,

Researchers looked at how short wavelength visible light in the blue region emitted from digital screens TANKS this crucial process.

also examined different levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) such as cellular phones (29-40), mobile base stations(41, 42), Wi-Fi routers

We have shown that both the blue light and RF-EMFs generated by mobile phones are linked to the disruption of the circadian rhythm in people who use their phones at night.

women who carry mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2, or women with family history of breast cancer should avoid using their smartphones, tablets and laptops at night.

Why bother with a sleep sanctuary if any will do?

Protecting your sleep/wake cycle is paramount to prevent cancer. Melatonin, the hormone dominant at night, is your ANTI-CANCER hormone. "has been shown to produce strong anti-cancer actions and also promotes sleep."

All mice were kept in the light for 12 hours each day. One group of three mice was in the dark the other 12 hours, which helped them produce high levels of endogenous melatonin. Another group spent 12 hours in light followed by 12 hours in dim light at night, which suppresses their nocturnal melatonin production. The dim light was 0.2 lux, which is less than a night-light or a display light from a cell phone

And the number disruptive to your

Women are more sensitive to melatonin disruptions.

BOTH the blue light and RF-EMFs generated by mobile phones are linked to the disruption of the circadian rhythm in people who use their phones at night.

Your breastmilk can be changed by your light enviroment

Human breast milk is more than a meal – it’s also a clock, providing time-of-day information to infants.

https://theconversation.com/human-breast-milk-may-help-babies-tell-time-via-circadian-signals-from-mom-118492?fbclid=IwAR2kplJ4RVUugLqqc7poMbCmZGYCnZvcxwDFXzmE_URmkbTS4ExjArOIZjo

Children are especially susceptible

Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of EMF (electromagnetic frequencies or fields) for a number of reasons, and most are submerged in an electrosmog soup all day, every day. What are the risks?

In 2016, the National Toxicology Program released the results from the largest cell phone study ever performed on the link between nonionizing radiation and cancer. Rats exposed to the frequency of radiation emitted by cell phones developed two kinds of tumors: gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart. These results align with several observational studies finding links to the same types of tumors in humans - plus acoustic neuromas and meningiomas.

• Sleep deprivation

• Low energy, “brain fog”, mommy brain

• Mood issues, such as anxiety, depression, aggression and impulsivity

• Increased stress

• Affect sleep/wake cycles in babies through breastfeeding

• Developmental issues (especially in young kids)

• Dry-eye disease

• Decreased hand-eye coordination

• Reduced ability to form social connections and relationships

• Reduced executive function

In 2010, Powe et al. reported that among 25 Boston-area women,  mothers of sons produced ~25% higher energy density in milk than mothers of daughters. More recently, Fujita and colleagues (2012) revealed sex-biases in the milk fat concentration among 72 women in rural Kenya. On average, mothers of sons produced significantly higher fat concentrations in milk.

Children are also sensitive to their environment

Some people are "exquisitely sensitive" to places where EMFs are present. Some literally cannot be in certain places because of the Wi-Fi there—they end up with fatigue and headaches and ringing in the ears and a sense of brain fog to the extent that it may affect thinking and speech patterns.

I had a glimpse of this as a child that worsened as a teenager until it hit a peak when I was working fulltime. It took me until I was into my 30s to understand where all these symptoms were coming from.

The thing is, at that time I had no idea what was going and kept going, kept struggling despite the bouts of malaise that would hit me. It takes time for children to learn how to express their bodily aches in calm ways for our adult ways; before then, it often manifests as temper tantrums, general fatigue and “laziness”, and spectrum-type disorders.

Brain development in children

A child’s hippocampus and hypothalamus absorb 1.6 to 3.1 more MWR than an adult’s, and his cerebellum absorbs 2.5 times more[6][7]

Resources and references:

1. [6] Christ, Andreas, Marie-Christine Gosselin, Maria Christopoulou, Sven Kühn, and Niels Kuster. "Age-dependent Tissue-specific Exposure of Cell Phone Users." Physics in Medicine and Biology55, no. 7 (2010): 1767-783. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/55/7/001

2. [7] Gandhi, Om P., L. Lloyd Morgan, Alvaro Augusto De Salles, Yueh-Ying Han, Ronald B. Herberman, and Devra Lee Davis. "Exposure Limits: The Underestimation of Absorbed Cell Phone Radiation, Especially in Children." Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine31, no. 1 (2011): 34-51. doi:10.3109/15368378.2011.622827.

3. the Agency has issued opinions on the health effects of 5G deployment, high-voltage lines, body scanners and light-emitting diodes.

4. READ MORE about the link between night time light exposure and breast cancer here ((Melaniechua.com)).

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5811748/?fbclid=IwAR3nAtsjrYTSCzDy5S7ayvcRmEgs4QZNyTBkhe6qoLEgTTkAyaWC7wOue0U#!po=1.51515

6. https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-breast-cancer-likelier-bone-nighttime.html?fbclid=IwAR114v839lOxffTGnuuWVPfsVcMWaRf9fntJsxIi0NW7f-Shm_en3-OLE9M

Study: Toxic chemical exposure during pregnancy linked to serious health issues by elementary school

A study adds to the body of research showing that the mother’s exposure to toxins affects her child’s health well into the growing years. This study is one of the most comprehensive endeavors delving into early-life environmental origins of metabolic risk, further bolstering prior toxicological and epidemiological evidence in this area

Link to study: Prenatal Exposure to Chemical Mixtures and Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Children, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12040

the study

The researchers looked at 1134 mother-child pairs from 6 European countries (France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, and the UK), and their prenatal exposures to common endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mixtures. The mean age of the mothers at the birth of their child was 30.7 years, and they were recuited into the study April 1, 2003, and January 30, 2009.

These common toxic chemicals included “metals, organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers [that’s PBDEs, or flame retardants], and perfluoroalkyl substances”.

They then measured the children born to the mothers at 6 to 11 years of age. They focused on markers of metabolic syndrome, which combines measurements of blood sugars, lipids such as cholesterol, the existence of fat tissue and the impact on the heart.

We almost always consider health risks from single chemicals, one at a time, as if we are exposed to just one chemical at a time. Here the research team shows that children’s risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life can be driven by the complex mixtures of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the body at any moment and it highlights the particular risk of chemical exposures during pregnancy. —Jane Houlihan, the national director of science and health for Healthy Babies Bright Futures

what the researchers found

They found that the exposure to toxins were associated with increased metabolic syndrome risk score and altered proinflammatory proteins, amino acids, and glycerophospholipid levels in childhood.

The childrens’ comprehensive tests had elevated levels of metabolic syndrome at ages 6 to 11. Metabolic syndrome can include obesity, elevated blood pressure, and abnormally high cholesterol and insulin resistance, which is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Within the group of children exposed to the highest levels of chemicals, 62% were overweight or obese, compared with 16% of children within the low-risk group.

Moreover, the levels of blood insulin and triglycerides, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, were significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group.

Pregnancy and childhood are especially important times to limit exposure to chemicals as the brain and body are in key stages of development. Sign up for a free guide to common pollutants AT HOME that you can reduce now.

New Studies Link Emf Radiation from Mobile Phones to Adverse Outcomes in Pregnancy, Birth, and Infant Outcomes

If you knew that the top factor that influences the health outcome of your child is something that you use every day, what would you do?

Electro-pollution is invisible radiation that is common in many homes from personal sources such as your mobile phone and the latest smart gadgets, moving subatomic particles (i.e., light in the body) at the speed of light.

It directly affects the human body's electric and biochemical responses, especially during the sensitive stages of pre and post pregnancy.

EMFs harm both the baby in-utero and the pregnant mother

In a recent study published in the journal Heliyon, researchers systematically reviewed and analyzed articles that highlight the impact of harmful electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on physiological as well as pregnancy outcomes with regards to the mother, birth, and the child.

Electromagnetic fields disorder the body’s physiological balance, increase the lifespan of free radicals, and lead to DNA damage in individuals [22]. In addition, according to gender, density of body tissue, life cycle, and exposure, the effect of environmental pollution varies. Many sources can cause humans to be exposed to magnetic fields. Power supplies, computers, televisions, radios, and telephones are some of these resources.

We’re fundamentally bio-electric in Nature, which means every single cell process runs on bioelectricity. Any artificial electromagnetic fields has the potential to affect these processes.

The female placenta facilitates an exchange of oxygen and nutrients between the tissues of the mother and the fetus. Thus, alterations in the mother’s body can affect fetal growth and development. EMF radiation emitted from mobile phones can penetrate fetal tissues and cause hormonal imbalances in the mother and thermal, anthropometric, and cardiovascular changes in the fetus. Hence, analyzing these radiation-induced damaging effects in terms of physiological and pregnancy outcomes on the mother and the baby is important.

study: Emfs Is Linked to poorer pregnancy and infant outcomes

The researchers looked up all qualitative or qualitative studies printed in English within the past five years that reported the negative physiological and pregnancy outcomes of smartphone induced EMF radiation on mothers and child’s health in humans and animals, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA) guidelines.

They found 10,450 published articles, and selected 18 articles.

The studies found that pregnant women exposed to high levels of EMF radiation had elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

They also had higher rates of miscarriages, premature birth along with low birth weight, fluctuations in temperature, heart rate variability (HRV), altered development of the nervous system, decreased head and chest circumference, hyperactivity, and speech problems in the infant.

Link to the study: El Jarrah, I. and Rababa, M. (2022) "Impacts of smartphone radiation on pregnancy: A systematic review", Heliyon, 8(2), p. e08915. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08915. https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(22)00203-1

Emfs Is Linked to Higher Risks of Fetal and Childhood Abnormalities

The following year in 2023, another study was published. It noted that electromagnetic waves can have harmful effects on the cell components that lead to differentiation and abnormalities in cell proliferation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, chromosomal abnormalities, cancers, and birth defects.

It also noted that the UK showed that the prevalence of hospital admission due to congenital anomalies has increased significantly from 1999 to 2019. It also cited an Australian study from 2005 to 2015 reported an increasing trend in admissions due to congenital anomalies

It showed:

• In mothers who have more exposure to EMFs, the odds of fetal developmental disorders in fetus were 1.34 times as many as in mothers who have no exposure to EMFs. The odds for development disorders was 2.10.

• In mothers who have more exposure to EMFs, the mean change in gene expression in fetus was 1.02 units as many as in mothers who have no exposure to EMFs.

• In mothers that have more exposure to EMFs, the mean of antioxidant parameters in fetus was 0.84 units lower than in mothers that have no exposure to EMFs.

Link to the study: Electromagnetic fields exposure on fetal and childhood abnormalities: Systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10183723/

What EMFs do to the human body — the fertility link

In today’s world, EMF exposure is more or less inevitable. 

Unless you live way out in the woods, where you live is a matrix of wireless routers and cellphones.

In fact, EMFs messes with your biology in a few different ways that are most directly detrimental to fertility, conception, and throughout the pregnancy process! What we do know:

• Infertility in men. A 2014 study found that cell phone exposure reduces sperm quality. People who carried mobile phones that were actively receiving cell signals (that is, their phones were not in airplane mode) saw a significant decrease in sperm motility and viability[*]. 

• Infertility in women. A study of 462 pregnant women in Tehran found that the women experienced a significant increase in miscarriages after exposure to EMFs[*]. On top of that, a 2015 study found that EMF exposure increased the number of viable eggs you lose with each menstrual cycle[*].

• Decreased sleep quality. A 2019 study found that daily exposure to EMFs disrupts sleep and contribute to both depression and anxiety[*]. Another study found that EMF exposure caused people to release less melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy and helps you access the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep[*].

• Mental stress. EMFs cause concentrated oxidative stress in your brain[*][*]. A series of recent studies suggest that EMF exposure could even be a cause of neurodegeneration as you age, contributing to diseases like dementia[*][*]. This is the total opposite of what we want to mothers during postpartum recovery when the brain is adjusting to a whole new life with baby!

Mothers are increasingly exposed to environmental toxins

How much EMF exposure before it causes harm? It depends on gender, density of body tissue, life cycle, and exposure…

And for pregnant women, exposure to children begins in the womb. Women and babies (including in the womb) are also softer and more vulnerable to the penetration to EMFs.

With the increase in the modernity process and the increase in exposure of mothers to environmental pollutants, the hospital admission rate due to congenital malformations has increased by almost 19% from 1999 to 2019.

Any older mother visiting a gynaecologist’s office is well aware of the script — that mothers above 35 years have an increased risk of congenital anomalies by 3.93 times and the risk of spontaneous abortion by 12.82 times…

References & Resouces

Doi M, Usui N, Shimada S. Prenatal environment and neurodevelopmental disorders. Front Endocrinol. 2022;13:407. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

Otto M, von Mühlendahl KE. Electromagnetic fields (EMF): do they play a role in children’s environmental health (CEH)? Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2007;210(5):635–44. [PubMed]

Study: Pregnant mothers who test higher for lead perform poorer at neuropsychological tests (Malaysia)

In this study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, researchers assessed 202 women who attended routine gynaecology appointments. They tested the blood lead levels and the neuropsychological score of women who were in their third trimester of pregnancy.

Conclusions

• The mean blood lead of the respondents was 7.78 μg/dL (Figure 2), which is more than the blood lead of electronic industries soldering workers (6.10 μg/L) (4). Pregnant women need an optimum nutrient such as Ca2+ and Fe2+ or Fe3+, for the growth of the babies (5,6). The body tends to absorb lead if the calcium and iron intake were insufficient in the diet.

• Almost one-third (27%) of the respondents have blood lead concentrations of more than 10 μg/dL—the maximum limit recognised for pregnant women.

• The blood lead for these pregnant mothers had an inverse significant correlation with their scores in a neuropsychological test (Digit Symbol, Digit Span, Trail Making, Benton Visual Retention Test and Reaction Time).

• The NCTB test result shows that pregnant mothers with high blood lead have difficulties in concentrating and have short– term hearing and visual abilities (Digit Span Test, Benton Visual Retention Test). They have slow motor speed through vision (Digit Symbol Test) slow reaction toward visual stimulation (Reaction Time Test) and low attention ability, visual scanning and visual motor trailing (Trail Making Test).

• This supports previous studies showed that blood lead among female workers had the abilities to lower the NCTB score (12,13).

LINK TO THE STUDY: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340582193_Blood_Lead_Concentrations_and_The_Neuropsychology_Scores_of_Pregnant_Women_in_Klang_Valley_Malaysia