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Low sperm count cannot determine if an offspring will be born with birth defects, according to a new study. 

Male partners, in infertile couples, are partially or fully held responsible for the inability to conceive about 40 percent of the time. Assisted reproductive technologies such as Vitro fertilization helps couple in having children, but previous researchers have suggested a possible link between these approaches and a higher risk of birth defects. 

In the new study, researchers examined a Baylor College of Medicine database in search for the possible connections but contrastingly found that no such link existed. 

"For couples considering assisted reproductive technology, the results of this study show they should not be concerned about decreased semen quality and birth defects," Dr. Tobias Kohler, residency program director at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, said in a news release from the American Urological Association. "More than 5 million happy and healthy babies have been conceived using these techniques."

The findings of the study were presented at the American Urological Association annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.