Men with the best quality sperm live two to three years longer than those with the lowest quality, a new study has found.
Testing semen in this way could one day be used to predict and prevent future health problems, researchers suggest.
For the study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, academics analysed data from 78,284 men in Denmark between 1965 and 2015.
The men had their semen quality assessed during the period because of reported couple infertility.
Those with a higher total motile count (TMC) – or numbers of sperm that can move or swim – could expect to live longer.