Study links poor semen quality with shorter life span

Findings from a study of nearly 80,000 men suggest that higher quality semen is linked with a longer life expectancy.¹

The data were published in Human Reproduction.¹

These findings suggest that semen quality assessments may serve as a biomarker for later diseases.

Specifically, the study included 78,284 men who had their semen quality assessed between 1965 and 2015 due to reported couple infertility. Semen parameters that were evaluated included semen volume, sperm concentration, and the proportion of motile and morphologically normal sperm. Over the period assessed, 8600 (11%) deaths occurred.

The study also included a subpopulation of 59,657 men who delivered a semen sample between 1987 and 2015. Overall, 3059 (5.1%) of deaths occurred over the follow-up period.

Data showed that men with the best quality sperm lived an average of 2.7 years longer than those with the lowest quality sperm. Specifically, the average life expectancy was 80.3 years among men with a total motile sperm count over 120 million, compared with 78.0 years among men with azoospermia and 77.6 years among men with a total motile sperm count ranging from >0 to 5 million (P < 0.001).

According to lead author Lærke Priskorn of Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, “This association was not explained by any diseases in the 10 years before semen quality assessment or the men’s educational level.”

The study also showed a dose-response relationship between all semen parameters and mortality in the total population (P < .001). However, men with azoospermia had a slightly improved mortality risk compared with men in the next sperm concentration category. Compared with men with a total motile sperm count over 120 million, men with azoospermia had an HR of 1.28 (95% CI, 1.12-1.46), vs an HR of 1.46 (95% CI, 1.35-1.59) amongmen with a total motile sperm count of >0 to 5 million.

This trend was also observed to a greater degree among men in the subpopulation. Again, compared to the reference, men with azoospermia had a HR of 1.52 (95% CI, 1.15-2.02) vs a HR of 1.70 (95% CI, 1.50-1.93) among men with a total motile sperm count of >0 to 5 million.

These findings were consistent after adjusting for educational status and diagnoses before baseline, although most HRs were slightly reduced in the adjusted model.

According to the authors, these findings suggest that semen quality assessments may serve as a biomarker for later diseases.

“We need to better understand the association between semen quality and men’s general health,” explained senior author Niels Jørgensen, MD, PhD, of Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, in a news release on the findings.² “However, this study suggests that we can identify subgroups of men with impaired semen quality who are apparently healthy when their semen quality is assessed, but who are at increased risk of developing certain diseases later in life. Thus, fertility evaluations, which are typically conducted when the men are relatively young, would serve as an opportunity for detecting and mitigating the risks of other health problems in the longer term. In the current study, we did not analyze whether poor semen quality was associated with earlier deaths from particular causes, such as cancer or heart disease, and this is something we will be studying in the future. Using other groups of men, we will also try to identify relevant biomarkers that can identify subgroups of men at increased risk. This is key to initiating relevant prevention strategies.”

However, the mechanisms by which semen quality is linked to mortality are still unknown. In a commentary accompanying the paper, Distinguished Emeritus Professor Robert John Aitken from the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at The University of Newcastle, Australia, reflected on potential mediators in this relationship.³ One mechanism, he suggests, could be a process called oxidative stress.

He writes, “Any factor (genetic, immunological, metabolic, environmental or lifestyle) that enhances overall levels of oxidative stress, could reasonably be expected to drive changes in the semen profile and subsequent patterns of mortality, as observed by Priskorn et al…Furthermore, an etiology grounded in oxidative stress might also explain the relationships observed between complications of pregnancy (preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes) and female mortality later in life…An overarching oxidative stress hypothesis also accords with the observation that circulating antioxidant levels are generally higher in women than men, just as their telomeres are usually longer…So perhaps, for both genders, the secret to achieving both high fecundity and heathy aging is to monitor oxidative stress and adopt measures to maintain a balanced redox state. Could it be that simple? Clearly, much food for thought.”

REFERENCES
1. Priskorn L, Lindahl-Jacobsen R, Jensen TK, et al. Semen quality and lifespan: a study of 78 284 men followed for up to 50 years. Hum Reprod. 2025:deaf023.doi:10.1093/humrep/deaf023

2. Better semen quality is linked to men living longer. News release. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. March 4, 2025. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1075497

3. Aitken RJ. Spermatozoa as harbingers of mortality: the curious link between semen quality and life expectancy. Hum Reprod. 2025:deaf027.doi:10.1093/humrep/deaf027