Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
Semen quality remains stable during 96 weeks of untreated human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection
Elisabeth van Leeuwen1, Ferdinand W Wit, Jan M Prins
1Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.vanleeuwen@amc.uva.nl
Objective:
To evaluate semen parameters during the natural course of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection.
Design:
A longitudinal cohort study.
Setting:
HIV outpatient clinic of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Patient(S):
55 men infected with HIV-1, with infection of variable duration but without previous or current antiretroviral therapy.
Intervention(S):
Biannual blood and semen analyses.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
We examined the changes in semen parameters over time using a repeated measurements mixed-effects model.
Result(S):
The mean follow-up period was 77 weeks (interquartile range: 39 to 111 weeks). The mean CD4 cell count showed a statistically significant decline from 480 to 400 cells/mm(3), and the mean blood plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration showed a statistically significant increase from 4.1 to 4.3 log(10) copies/mL. None of the semen parameters showed any statistically significant change over time.
Conclusion(S):
Prolonged exposure to asymptomatic, untreated HIV-1 infection does not affect semen quality. These findings should be reassuring for untreated men infected with HIV-1 who wish to father a child, and they also provide relevant background information for studies investigating the potential effect of antiretroviral therapy on semen quality.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
01:22Sperm Structure and Semen Composition