title: Semen quality remains stable during 96 weeks of untreated human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate semen parameters during the natural course of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIV outpatient clinic of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  55 men infected with HIV-1, with infection of variable duration but without previous or current antiretroviral therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biannual blood and semen analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the changes in semen parameters over time using a repeated measurements mixed-effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.vanleeuwen@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.forename: Ferdinand W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Wit
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.forename: Fulco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: Sjoerd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Repping
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility