Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Perspective
  • Published:

Sildenafil 20th Anniversary Issue

Sildenafil’s impact on male infertility: what has changed in 20 years?

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 31, pages 71–73 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Sildenafil has had a dramatic influence on the field of sexual medicine over the past 20 years. Not only have phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors improved the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), they have indirectly contributed to the treatment of male factor infertility. A review of the literature between 1998 - 2018 was performed using PubMed with regards to sildenafil and male infertility. Numerous studies have demonstrated sildenafil’s safety and efficacy for treating ED. Sildenafil does not alter semen parameters, and, in fact, may positively affect semen parameters. Sildenafil is helpful for treating ED caused by the psychological stress of infertility treatments. Sildenafil has improved the treatment of ED and may have a benefit on semen parameters. This has aided in the management of male factor infertility, and has contributed to hundreds of thousands of pregnancies that would have been more difficult, as it was before its advent.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Goldstein I, Lue TF, Padma-Nathan H, Rosen RC, Steers WD, Wicker. Sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998;338:1397–404.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Shah J. Erectile dysfunction through the ages. BJU Int. 2002;90:433–41.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tan P, Liu L, Wei S, Tang Z, Yang L, Wei Q. The effect of oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors on sperm parameters: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Urology. 2017;105:54–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wincze JP. Psychosocial aspects of ejaculatory dysfunction and male reproduction. Fertil Steril. 2015;104:1089–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Dehghani Firouzabadi R, Davar R, Hojjat F, Mahdavi M. Effect of sildenafil citrate on endometrial preparation and outcome of frozen–thawed embryo transfer cycles: a randomized clinical trial. Iran J Reprod Med. 2013;11:151–8.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Burger M, Sikka SC, Bivalacqua TJ, Lamb DJ, Hellstrom WJ. The effect of sildenafil on human sperm motion and function from normal and infertile men. Int J Impot Res. 2000;12:229–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. du Plessis SS, de Jongh PS, Franken DR. Effect of acute in vivo sildenafil citrate and in vitro 8-bromo-cGMP treatments on semen parameters and sperm function. Fertil Steril. 2004;81:1026–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Sher G, Fisch JD. Effect of vaginal sildenafil on the outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) after multiple IVF failures attributed to poor endometrial development. Fertil Steril. 2002;78:1073–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Goldstein I, Tseng LJ, Creanga D, Stecher V, Kaminetsky JC. Efficacy and safety of sildenafil by age in men with erectile dysfunction. J Sex Med. 2016;13:852–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Yang B, Xu P, Shi Y, Xu J, Zheng L, Li H, et al. Erectile dysfunction and associated risk factors in Chinese males of infertile couples. J Sex Med. 2018;15:671–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Pan BC, Xing X, Li P, Guo RH, Du Q, Liang X, et al. [Impact of perceived male infertility factors on penile erectile function]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2013;19:1087–90.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Perlis N, Lo KC, Grober ED, Spencer L, Jarvi K. Coital frequency and infertility: which male factors predict less frequent coitus among infertile couples? Fertil Steril. 2013;100:511–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Boorjian S, Hopps CV, Ghaly SW, Parker M, Mulhall JP. The utility of sildenafil citrate for infertile men with sexual dysfunction: a pilot study. BJU Int. 2007;100:603–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Althof SE, Berner MM, Goldstein I, Claes HI, Cappelleri JC, Bushmakin AG, et al. Interrelationship of sildenafil treatment effects on the physiological and psychosocial aspects of erectile dysfunction of mixed or organic etiology. J Sex Med. 2010;7:3170–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Tan HM, Tong SF, Ho CC. Men’s health: sexual dysfunction, physical, and psychological health—is there a link? J Sex Med. 2012;9:663–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Miner M, Nehra A, Jackson G, Bhasin S, Billups K, Burnett AL, et al. All men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction require a cardiovascular workup. Am J Med. 2014;127:174–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. McCabe MP, Althof SE. A systematic review of the psychosocial outcomes associated with erectile dysfunction: does the impact of erectile dysfunction extend beyond a man’s inability to have sex? J Sex Med. 2014;11:347–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Sadovsky R. Integrating erectile dysfunction treatment into primary care practice. Am J Med. 2000;109:22–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Nickolas D. Scherzer, Tan V. Le & Wayne J. G. Hellstrom

  2. Department of Andrology, Binh Dan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Tan V. Le

Authors
  1. Nickolas D. Scherzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tan V. Le
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wayne J. G. Hellstrom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wayne J. G. Hellstrom.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

WJGH is a consultant/advisor for Pfizer. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Scherzer, N.D., Le, T.V. & Hellstrom, W.J.G. Sildenafil’s impact on male infertility: what has changed in 20 years?. Int J Impot Res 31, 71–73 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-018-0067-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-018-0067-x

Search

Advanced search

Quick links