Does Covid-19 Affect Male Fertility?Experts call attention to new evidence

According to a new study published Thursday in the journal Reproduction, severe cases of Covid-19 can affect male sperm quality and therefore male fertility.

“This report provides the first direct evidence to date that COVID-19 infection impairs semen quality and male fertility,” the study said.

However, experts not involved in the investigation were immediately skeptical of the report’s conclusions and cautioned against over-generalizing the findings.

“I need to be very careful in interpreting this data. For example, the authors show that” COVID-19 infection causes serious damage to male reproductive function, “although the data show. It’s really just a link, “said Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Via email, UK.

“Infection with a virus such as influenza can cause a temporary decrease (and in some cases zero) in sperm counts for weeks or months, which is the decrease observed in this study. It will be difficult to figure out how much is unique to COVID-19, not just the disease, “said Dr. Channa Jayasena, a reproductive endocrinology and andrology consultant at the Imperial College in London. Stated. Email.

“It is important to note that there is no evidence of the Covid-19 virus in the semen and that the virus can be transmitted through the semen,” said the International Center’s Newcastle Fertility Center. Allison Murdoch, who leads, said.for Life, Newcastle University, UK, via email.

Small study of 84 men

In this study, 105 fertile men without Covid-19 diagnosed with coronavirus and 84 fertile men were age-matched and semen was analyzed at 10-day intervals for 60 days.

Compared to healthy men without Covid-19, this study found a significant increase in inflammation and oxidative stress in sperm cells belonging to men with Covid-19. The concentration, mobility and shape of their sperm were also adversely affected by the virus.

Studies show that the difference increases with the severity of the disease.

“These effects on sperm cells are associated with poor sperm quality and fertility. These effects tended to improve over time, but were significant and abnormal in COVID-19 patients. It remained high and the magnitude of these changes was also associated with the severity of the disease, “said Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki, a senior researcher who is a PhD student at the University of Giessenwig. Giessen in Hessen, Germany, in a statement.

Studies show that Covid men also had much higher levels of ACE2 enzyme activity. ACE2, or angiotensin converting enzyme 2, is a protein that provides a gateway for new coronaviruses to connect and infect various human cells.

However, Covid-19 may affect the male reproductive system because the ACE2 receptor, “the same receptor that the virus uses to access lung tissue, is also found in the testicles.” That’s not surprising. He is also the editor-in-chief of the journal Human Fertility.

Ongoing concerns

“Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been comprehensible (but theoretical) concerns about whether this coronavirus can have a detrimental effect on the fertility of infected men,” said Pacey. Stated.

After reviewing about 14 studies published on this topic, Pacey concluded that “the measurable effect of coronavirus on male fertility is probably small and temporary.”

He added that the results of this study may be due to other factors, such as the use of drugs to treat the virus. This is also acknowledged by the author in this study.

“Therefore, only the possibility of sperm quality differences between men suffering from a febrile illness (fever) is displayed in this dataset. And those who were fine. We already know that febrile illnesses can affect sperm production, regardless of cause, “said Pacey.

Sina Lewis, an emeritus professor at Queen’s University Belfast in Ireland, shared a similar idea in an email. “My concern is that men with COVID have gained a lot of weight and received a lot of treatment.

“We know that obesity alone reduces sperm quality. COVID treatment may have affected sperm quality in these men, not COVID itself,” Lewis said. Says.

“Therefore, longer-term studies are needed before the testes are considered a high-risk organ specific to Covid-19,” said Murdoch of Newcastle.