Sperm analysis. Credit: Shutterstock, Arif biswas
A new Danish study suggests that men with higher sperm quality may have a longer life expectancy.
Researchers analysed data from nearly 80,000 Danish men over a 50-year period and found a significant correlation between semen quality and longevity (Human Reproduction, 2025).
How sperm quality relates to life expectancy
The study followed men who had undergone semen analysis due to fertility concerns. Key factors assessed included semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and shape.
The results showed that men with a total motile sperm count exceeding 120 million lived, on average, 2.7 years longer than those with a count between 0 and 5 million.
“The lower the semen quality, the lower the life expectancy. This association was not explained by any diseases in the ten years before semen quality assessment or the men’s educational level,” said Dr Lærke Priskorn, senior researcher from Copenhagen University Hospital (cited by Euronews.)
Semen: a potential health indicator for men
Scientists believe that semen quality may act as a key marker for overall health. Some argue that sperm quality could be recognised as a sixth vital sign, alongside temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
Prior research has already linked poor sperm concentration with earlier hospitalisation – by an average of seven years – suggesting a broader impact on men’s wellbeing, beyond fertility.
“The current findings corroborate and add to the growing body of research showing that semen quality is an important marker of current health and likely predictive of future health across the lifespan,” said Dr Germaine Buck Louis, dean of the College of Health at George Mason University (cited by Euronews).
The study does not identify a direct cause for the connection, but environmental factors could play a role.
The findings highlight the importance of reproductive health as an indicator of broader wellbeing.
With sperm quality declining globally in recent decades, the study highlights the need for greater awareness. Routine semen analysis could become a more widely accepted method of assessing overall health in men, according to the study.
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