To be or not to be fertile, that is the question: male fertility survey

Introduction: Fertility and virility are often socially related to the concept of masculinity, and this generates a certain degree of uncertainty because it could lead to a series of emotional processes by relating these concepts with the word infertility. Objective: The objective of the present work was to relate the responses on the perceptions of seminal quality with some concepts related to masculinity. Materials and methods: An anonymous virtual survey of 500 men was carried out, in which questions were asked regarding the perception of some variables on seminal quality. Results: As regards the question, 'what does it mean for you to have a high sperm count?'; in men with and without partners, the most frequent response was, good ability to fecundate, being higher in men with a partner (P = .013). In contrast, the second most frequent response (good health) was higher in the group that had no partner (P = .028). While the majority of participants answered that they would not feel anything (58.8% without a partner, and 64.5% with a partner) in response to the questions, 'How would you feel if you have a low sperm count?', and 'How would you feel if you did not have any sperm?', respectively. On the other hand, as regards the response 'embarrassed', the participants without a partner said they felt more embarrassed in both questions (P = .011 and P = .0057). Conclusion: The term infertility should be used carefully, since it has a significant impact an individual's life. It affects the well-being of the couple, as well as psychosocial well-being and sexual satisfaction itself. (C) 2019 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.