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Public release date: 16 August 2008
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Viagra Puts Men's Fertility at Risk
According to a study conducted by researchers at Queen's University Belfast and published in the journal Fertility and
Sterility, Viagra, widely used as an anti-impotence and recreational drug, actually reduces men's fertility by decreasing
the ability of their sperm to fertilize an egg.
In order to determine what effect the popular drug might have on sperm cells, researchers carried out two different
experiments. In the first study, human sperm samples were bathed in weak Viagra solutions, intended to approximate the
blood concentration acquired from taking a single 100-milligram Viagra pill. This way they found that while the
Viagra-bathed sperm became more active, sperm cells also suffered damage to the structure at their heads known as the acrosome.
This portion of the cell contains enzymes that help break down the membrane around an egg so that the sperm can penetrate it.
To determine if this cell damage actually affected fertility rates, the researchers compared the fertility of two groups
of male mice, one of which had been given Viagra. They found that mice in the Viagra group produced 40 percent fewer
fertilized sperm embryos than mice that had not been given any drugs.
Researcher David Glenn noted that the many fertility clinics that prescribe Viagra in order to increase sperm counts may
actually be harming the fertility of their clients.
"I think it is worrying that some in-vitro fertilization clinics are using Viagra in order to boost fertility results,"
Glenn said. "Couples that go there for treatment are, by definition, already having problems getting pregnant. Giving
male partners something that could make the problem worse is scarcely the right approach."
Glenn also expressed concern over the long-term effects that recreational Viagra use might have fertility in men.
"Viagra has become a widely used recreational drug," Glenn said. "It is mixed with cocaine, for example, and is sold in
clubs. Our work leaves open the possibility that there could be a cumulative effect from taking Viagra, however, which
could pose serious fertility problems in later life."
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