Viagra may be good for boosting a man's sex life, but it also may harm sperm and fertility, according to a new study.
The British study concluded that young men who take the drug could be ruining their chances of fathering children, it is reported by Australian news agency AAP.
Dr. David Glenn, a consultant gynecologist at Queen's University Belfast, conducted two experiments on Viagra, which will be published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, according to the report.
In the first, Glenn and his research team treated sperm samples with weak solutions of Viagra to mimic the level found in the blood of a man who has taken a single pill.
Sperm exposed to the drug appeared more active than untreated sperm. But the Viagra also appeared to damage the acrosome, a cap-like structure that produces enzymes to help penetrate the egg, the report said.
The second test found that mice given Viagra produced 40 percent fewer embryos than other mice.
Pfizer, maker of Viagra, was not immediately available for comment, the report said.
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