Association of cocaine use with sperm concentration, motility, and morphology

Use of cocaine within 2 years of their first semen analysis has been found to be twice as common among men with sperm counts less than 20 X 10(6) mL (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0, 4.6). Duration of cocaine use for five or more years was more common in men with low sperm motility (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.0, 4.1) and in those with low concentrations and a large proportion of abnormal forms. Other major risk factors for these three indicators of male subfertility also have been identified, but the cocaine risk factors remained after adjustment for them. This association, together with the high prevalence of cocaine use in the general male population, suggests cocaine may now be related to male subfertility and that history of use should be ascertained during diagnostic interviews.