Effect of HIV-1 and Antiretroviral Therapy on Semen Quality

Abstract

Some studies have suggested that HIV infection may have a negative impact on fertility of infected males. Inconsistent results have characterised reports on the effect of HIV infection on semen quality. HAART has been reported to improve health by reducing blood viral loads, the incidence of opportunistic infections and improving immune system relatively. Investigating the effect of HIV-1 infection and HAART on semen quality was the priority of the study. Semen analysis and blood CD⁴⁺determination were carried out on25 subjects each of asymptomatic, moderately symp-tomatic, short duration of HAART treated(<1), longer duration of HAART treated (≥1) of HIV-infected men and HIV-negative control men and the data compared. The results showed that all the critical semen parameters (sperm motility, sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm mor-phology, sperm vitality, semen volume and pH) were impaired in the HIV-1 infected groups. How-ever, sperm motility improved with longer duration of HAART treatment than shorter duration. The study concluded that semen parameters evaluated in HIV-1 infected men revealed several im-pairments. Immune status largely correlated with semen parameters. Longer duration of treatment of HIV-1 infected men with HAART relatively improved some of the semen parameters.