Can Human Papillomavirus Affect Male Fertility?

So much talk around HPV focuses on women that it’s easy to think of it as a women’s health issue. Smear tests, the HPV vaccine, abnormal smears. These are the discussions most people hear when it comes to the virus. But how does HPV affect men? And do HPV and male fertility relate? 

HPV can. Here’s what we know for certain. What researchers are still trying to figure out. And what you can do about it. 

What Is HPV and How Does It Affect Men?

HPV is not one virus. NHS states there are over 100 types. Around 40 of these are classed as genital HPV types. Most people who become infected with HPV will never notice any symptoms. Your immune system naturally fights it off within one to two years.

However, there are strains that pose serious health risks. HPV types 16 and 18 can cause penile cancer, anal cancer and cancers of the oropharynx (the back of your throat including your tonsils and base of your tongue). Low-risk types cause genital warts. Though visible, genital warts aren't harmful. Importantly, neither high-risk nor low-risk types usually cause noticeable symptoms in men. That's why HPV infection of the male genital tract often goes unnoticed.

"As there's no proven screening test for HPV in men," Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust points out, "if you don't have visible warts, you're unlikely to know you have the virus." That matters because HPV can silently linger in the male genital tract. As new research shows, it may impact sperm function.

HPV Male Fertility: What Does Science Actually Say?

This is where it gets interesting. Over the past decade, a growing body of research has started examining the link between HPV and male reproductive health. The picture that is emerging is not straightforward, but several trends are consistent enough to take seriously.

HPV Is More Common in Infertile Men Than You Might Expect

One review in 2020 analyzed 50 studies and found 21% of infertile men had HPV semen samples. Studies between 1999 and 2016 suggest HPV shows up in semen of approximately 11% of men in the general population. Among men who go to fertility clinics, that number increases to about 20%. This indicates HPV presence in semen is not uncommon, and potentially may be overrepresented among men with fertility issues.

How HPV May Interfere with Sperm Quality

Research has identified several ways HPV can affect semen and sperm function:

1. Reduced sperm motility: A 2020 meta-analysis published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology pooled data from ten studies 616 infertile men with HPV-positive semen and over 2,000 without and found that progressive sperm motility was significantly lower in HPV-infected samples. Motility is one of the most important indicators of fertility, so this finding carries weight.

2. Sperm DNA fragmentation: Healthy embryo development depends on sperm delivering an intact copy of the father's DNA. When HPV infects semen, particularly high-risk strains like HPV 16 and 18, studies have shown an increase in sperm DNA fragmentation, breaks in the genetic material inside sperm cells. A fragmentation index above 30% is associated with male infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and poor outcomes in assisted reproduction.

3. Higher rates of sperm death: A 2024 study from researchers in Argentina, published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, found that men carrying high-risk HPV strains showed significantly higher rates of sperm non-viability meaning more sperm were dying before they could potentially fertilise an egg. 

4. Abnormal sperm morphology: Several studies have reported changes to the physical structure of sperm in HPV-positive samples, with abnormalities particularly noted in the neck and midpiece, the part of the sperm responsible for generating movement.

5. Anti-sperm antibodies: Some research suggests HPV may trigger the immune system to produce antibodies that target sperm cells, further compromising fertility.

   
   

Read More: Vitamins and Supplements for Male Fertility

The High-Risk vs Low-Risk Distinction Matters

It also seems that not all HPV strains carry the same risk for fertility. In their study population, high-risk HPV types outnumbered low-risk strains. They also seemed to have a larger impact on sperm health. High-risk HPVs also seemed to downregulate parts of the male genital tract immune response. This could allow more time for the virus to linger and leave men open to secondary infections that may exacerbate issues.

This high/low risk designation is important to understand with regard to HPV and male fertility because the virus comes in many different strains. Just because a guy has HPV doesn’t automatically mean he has a high-risk strain. For example, a person carrying a low-risk strain that causes warts has different concerns than someone with HPV 16.

Can HPV in Sperm Affect Pregnancy Outcomes?

This is perhaps one of the more alarming conclusions from the study. HPV DNA carried by sperm into an egg during fertilisation can affect more than just the sperm. Research has shown that when semen becomes infected with HPV, pregnancy rates among couples fell from 38% to 14%. In another study involving couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles, miscarriage rates were 62.5% with HPV infected sperm versus 16.7% in control samples. 

According to a review published in Virology Journal in 2025 HPV present in sperm can lead to spontaneous abortion as well as poorer assisted reproductive technology outcomes in part due to impact on embryo development and the ability of trophoblastic cells to implant into the uterine wall.

These are pretty impressive statistics, though research into this field is still fairly new and studies have been inconsistent. One thing we do know is that HPV present in male semen isn't just a harmless passenger.

Does HPV in Men Always Cause Fertility Problems?

No, and thank goodness for that. In fact most men who have HPV will not experience a detectable effect on their fertility. This is because the body often eradicates the virus naturally after a few months. Once this happens sperm parameters should normalise. It’s thought that sperm parameters will normalise three to six months after clearing HPV infection as it takes about two months for spermatogenesis to complete its cycle.

As Dr Bobby Najari from NYU Langone Health previously told Refinery29: “Typically when we think about HPV infection in men it is very rarely the kiss of death for fertility.” As we discussed earlier, sperm count and motility are the biggest predictors of male fertility and HPV is just one of many variables that can effect these numbers.

However, the science is strong enough that HPV can’t be completely written off as something that doesn’t affect men either. In cases of unexplained infertility between couples, it can be something to check.

Testing, Treatment, and Next Steps for Men

Here is the practical challenge: there is no routine HPV test for men in the UK. Unlike cervical screening for women, there is no equivalent programme that allows men to check their HPV status as a matter of course.

What can be done:

• HPV DNA testing of semen samples: This can detect the presence of the virus in seminal fluid and is available in some specialist fertility settings.

• Sperm DNA fragmentation testing: This does not test for HPV specifically, but it measures the integrity of sperm DNA, which HPV can affect. It gives a broader picture of sperm health.

• Standard semen analysis: This assesses concentration, motility, and morphology the core parameters that HPV may disrupt.

• Vaccination: The HPV vaccine is available to men up to the age of 45 in some circumstances. Emerging evidence suggests that vaccination may reduce seminal viral load in already-infected men and improve pregnancy rates in couples undergoing assisted reproduction. 

• Lifestyle changes: Smoking weakens the immune system's ability to clear HPV and increases the risk of HPV-related complications. Quitting smoking, reducing alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, and considering antioxidant supplementation can all support better sperm health.

If you and your partner are facing unexplained fertility difficulties, it is worth raising the question of HPV with your clinician. At myGynaePlus, the team takes a thorough approach to fertility assessment, looking at the full picture rather than stopping at the most obvious explanations.

The Role of Assisted Reproduction When HPV Is Present

For couples who need to go down the assisted reproduction route, HPV in semen is not necessarily a dealbreaker but it does require careful management. Conventional sperm washing techniques have limited success at removing the virus, but newer methods show more promise. Researchers at the University of Padua developed a modified swim-up technique using hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks the bond between the virus and the sperm surface, which has been shown to eliminate HPV from semen samples in study conditions.

Density gradient centrifugation is another technique that can reduce the viral load in prepared sperm samples, and some clinics now incorporate HPV-specific sperm preparation into their IVF and ICSI protocols.

The key takeaway for couples using assisted reproduction is to make sure the team managing your care is aware of HPV status in both partners, so that appropriate preparation techniques can be used.

What Couples Should Know

HPV male fertility is a legitimate concern that deserves more attention than it currently receives. The evidence points to a real, if not absolute, connection between HPV infection in semen and reduced sperm quality particularly sperm motility, DNA integrity, and viability. High-risk strains appear to carry more reproductive risk than low-risk ones. And in the context of assisted reproduction, HPV-positive semen may be linked to lower success rates and higher miscarriage risk.

At the same time, HPV infection in men is common, often temporary, and frequently resolves without causing lasting damage to fertility. Prevention through vaccination, awareness of risk, and thorough fertility investigation when problems arise are the most useful tools available.

If you have concerns about your reproductive health or are navigating fertility questions as a couple, speaking to a specialist is the most productive first step. The team at myGynaePlus offers gynaecology, fertility, and obstetrics services in London from experienced consultants who understand the complexity of these issues and can help guide you through them.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can HPV cause male infertility? 

HPV can negatively affect sperm quality, including motility, morphology, and DNA integrity, which may contribute to difficulties conceiving. It is not a guaranteed cause of infertility, and many men with HPV father children without any problems. The impact depends largely on which strain is present and whether the infection persists.

2. How common is HPV in male semen? 

Research suggests HPV appears in the semen of around 11% of men in the general population. Among men attending fertility clinics, this rises to approximately 20%. It is more prevalent than most people realise, partly because the infection produces no symptoms in the vast majority of cases.

3. How do doctors test for HPV in men? 

There is no routine HPV screening test for men in the UK. HPV DNA testing of semen samples is possible in specialist settings, and sperm DNA fragmentation testing can assess whether DNA damage which HPV may cause is present. Standard semen analysis also gives useful information about the parameters HPV can affect.

4. Can the HPV vaccine help male fertility? 

There is emerging evidence that HPV vaccination may reduce the amount of virus found in semen in already-infected men and improve pregnancy rates in couples undergoing assisted reproduction. Vaccination before infection occurs is more protective. The UK now includes boys in the routine vaccination programme, and the case for vaccinating adult men at risk continues to strengthen.

5. Can HPV in sperm cause miscarriage? 

Some studies suggest that HPV carried by sperm can be transferred to an egg during fertilisation and may interfere with embryo development and implantation. Several studies have reported higher miscarriage rates in couples where the male partner had HPV-positive semen. The evidence is not yet definitive, but it is substantial enough that HPV status should be considered when investigating recurrent pregnancy loss.