Popping commonly prescribed antidepressants can lower a man's sperm count and cause sperm motility, says famous sex therapist Dr. Madeleine M. Castellanos in an interview with Fox News.

Ms. Castellanos, who is also a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, says that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been found to reduce sperm count by around 50%.

She further added that the symptoms of impotence begin to show after the first month of treatment and major impact on the male fertility can be observed after three months on an SSRI.

Besides reducing sperm count, antidepressants are also known to cause erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, the New York City psychiatrist told the US-based news channel.

The assistant professor of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine explains that already stress and depression lowers testosterone in men and SSRIs add to the problem by distorting the normal shape of sperm and reducing sperm count, making men infertile.

Author of "A Man's Guide to Male Sexual Issues" tells the Fox News that negative effect of antidepressant generally fade away when you stop taking the drugs, however it could take three months for sperm counts to return to normal.

Member of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research also warns men who have been prescribed an SSRI for the treatment of premature ejaculation, saying that it is important to discontinue using the SSRIs to return to the normal fertility levels.

Men planning to start a family are advised by the therapist to consult the physician who prescribed them the antidepressants and ask them for alternate therapies for treating the depression.