Best Not to Balance Them on the Lap, Study Shows By Miranda Hitti WebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD Dec. 8, 2004 -- Male fertility may be affected by perching laptop computers on the lap, according to a new study. Balancing laptop computers on the lap raises the scrotum's temperature, say researchers including Yefim Sheynkin, MD, FACS, of the urology department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. About 15%-20% of couples that want to get pregnant aren't able to conceive. Many of those cases trace back to issues relating to the male. Gradually declining sperm production has been noted in recent decades, say the researchers. Elevated scrotal temperatures have been linked to male infertility . Many factors can raise scrotal temperature, including hot baths, saunas, and tight jockey shorts. Laptop computers may also belong on that list, say Sheynkin's team. They studied 29 healthy young men ages 21 to 35 for two, one-