Viagra and Levitra indicated for treatment of erection dysfunction have no significant impact on the quality of sperm, according to a new study published in the Jan 17, 2008 issue of Journal of Urology.
Viagra ( sildenafil ) by Pfizer and Levitra (vardenafil) by Bayer Pharmaceutical are Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors which are the first choice therapy in the treatment of erection dysfunction.
The study led by Jarvi K from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada and colleagues was meant to examine if these drugs would have any negative impact on the quality of sperm in men who were in their reproductive years.
For the randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study, the researchers enlisted 200 men aged 15 to 64 with or without erection dysfunction who received 20 mg Levitra or 100 mg Viagra or a placebo for six months.
All men were able to ejaculate and provide semen samples.
The researchers compared the semen characteristics and reproductive hormones before and after the treatment.
The percentage of men whose sperm concentration dropped 50 percent or higher in the Levitra group was 0.07 percent greater than the rate for men in the control group, the study showed.
In addition, Levitra did not have any clinically significant effect on any other semen parameters or on levels of reproductive hormones.
Similar results were found in the men who received Viagra.
"Specifically, use of vardenafil (Levitra) for 6 months does not impair sperm concentration, total sperm count per ejaculate, or sperm morphology and motility. Levels of reproductive hormones were also unaffected," the researchers write in their report.
They conclude "This study demonstrated that vardenafil had no adverse effects on sperm concentration, compared with sildenafil (Viagra) and placebo, when administered daily at the maximum recommended dose for 6 months."
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