REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Reproductive and Mating Physiology
The consequences of the extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure on physiological processes in the uterus: novel insights and implications
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Uniwersytet Warminsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie Wydzial Biologii i Biotechnologii, Olsztyn, Poland
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Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF), ranging from 1 Hz to 300 Hz, is prevalent in modern environments, yet its biological effects on the production remain insufficiently explored. This mini-review summarizes recent findings on ELF-EMF-induced alterations in the biological processes involved the uterus. It has been documented that the exposure to the ELF-EMF has been linked to significant changes in alterations of transcriptomic profile, histone modifications, DNA methylation, and microRNA pathways in the uterus, which may disrupt uterine contractility, secretory activity and hormonal signalling. Furthermore, the ELF-EMF influences myometrial and endometrial steroidogenesis, interferes with calcium ion channel regulation, elevates oxidative stress, apoptosis and cell proliferation, raising concerns about uterine tissues integrity. While direct evidence of ELF-EMF-induced tumorigenesis in the myometrium and the endometrium is lacking, its potential role in disrupting the mRNA transcript abundance involved in oxidative stress, apoptosis and cell proliferation underscores the need for further investigation. This review highlights the potential reproductive risks associated with the ELF-EMF exposure and calls for additional in vivo studies to elucidate its long-term effects on female fertility and reproductive health.
Keywords: Apoptosis, Cell Proliferation, Endometrium, epigenetic modifications, Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs), Myometrium, steroidogenesis, Transcriptomic profile
Received: 24 Nov 2025; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Khodadadi, Żmijewska and Franczak. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Anita Franczak
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