Men who are infertile due to semen and sperm defects are more likely to die earlier than men with normal semen, according to Webmd.

A new study suggests that young and middle-age men who were infertile because they had problems with their sperm including low sperm count and dysfunctional sperm movement were twice as likely to die over an eight-year period compared to men with normal sperm, reports Fox News.

Study researcher Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at Standford University School of Medicine noted that men with sperm abnormalities tend to have undetected health problems that result in a higher risk of death.

The men in the study ranged between ages 20 and 50 and were trying to have children, which suggests they were reasonably healthy, according to Eisenberg.

The study analyzed from about 1,200 men who visited fertility clinics in California and Texas, and who were followed for about eight years.

Specific information about the men's sperm counts, semen volume, sperm motility and sperm shape were collected.

69 deaths occurred during the study period and it was shown that men who had abnormalities in at least two of the sperm characteristics were 2.3 times more likely to die during the study period than men with normal sperm.

Eisenberg has stated that doctors who treat men for infertility should advise them to adopt certain healthy habits.

"There may be window of opportunity here. When they see their doctor they could do some other things that might benefit them. I see this as an opportunity to pay more attention to your health and be more proactive," stated Eisenberg.

It's important to understand that this study wasn't designed to prove that semen abnormalities lead to a higher rate of death, only to show there is an association between the two factors.

It is also crucial to note that the overall risk of dying for al men in the study was quite low.

Less than 1% of the men in the study died, which is lower than would be expected for men in the general population.