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COVID-19 infection may impair fertility in men
Jan 2021
COVID-19 may negatively affect sperm quality and impair fertility in men, according to research published in Reproduction. The study indicates that COVID-19 infection can cause increased sperm cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress, resulting in lower sperm quality and potentially impairing fertility. These findings provide the first, direct experimental evidence that the male reproductive system could be targeted and damaged by COVID-19, and suggest that men’s reproductive function should be evaluated after infection to detect and avoid further fertility problems.
COVID-19 is a coronavirus that causes respiratory illness which can be severe and even lead to death, particularly in older people or those with underlying medical problems. The World Health Organization announced a global pandemic of the virus on 11 March 2020. The disease is predominantly transmitted through respiratory droplets that infect the lungs, kidneys, intestines and heart. However, other studies have also found that it can infect the male reproductive organs, impairing sperm cell development and disrupting reproductive hormones. These findings suggest that the male reproductive system is potentially vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, however the full extent of the effects of the virus on male reproductive function are still not clear.
Lead Researcher Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki and his team from Justus-Liebig-University, Germany, investigated the effect of COVID-19 infection on male fertility by evaluating markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, sperm cell death and semen quality. Analysis was done at 10-day intervals for a follow-up time of 60 days, in 84 men with confirmed COVID-19 and 105 age-matched healthy controls. A urology expert determined that all the men were fertile. In men with COVID-19, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in sperm cells were significantly increased by more than 100% compared to age-matched healthy controls, pathways that facilitate sperm cell death were activated, and sperm concentration was reduced by 516%, mobility by 209% and sperm cell shape was altered by 400%. This state represents oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, which is one of the most common causes of subfertility in men.
“These effects on sperm cells are associated with lower sperm quality and reduced fertility potential. Although these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and abnormally higher in the COVID-19 patients, and the magnitude of these changes were also related to disease severity,” Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki comments.
These novel findings add to our current understanding of the disease and reveal that men recovering from COVID-19 may find it harder to conceive, due to abnormally low sperm quality. This suggests reproductive function should be monitored and evaluated by health professionals following infection, to detect and avoid more severe reproduction problems in the future.
Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki adds, “The results from this study also suggest that the male reproductive system should be considered a vulnerable route of COVID-19 infection and should be declared a high-risk organ by the World Health Organization.”
More extensive studies, with longer follow up, are necessary to validate the conclusions drawn from this study and determine exactly how COVID-19 affects reproduction and fertility in men.
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Notes for Editors
The study “COVID-19 and male reproductive function: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study” was published in Reproduction on Friday 29 January 2021. For copies of the paper please contact the press office using the details below.
Reproduction is the official journal of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility and is published by Bioscientifica, an innovative and agile publisher. Bioscientifica collaborates with learned societies worldwide to develop new and existing quality products that meet the ever-changing needs of the biomedical community. Our publishing portfolio includes journals and online resources, including Journal of Endocrinology, Endocrine-Related Cancer, Endocrine Connections, Journal of Molecular Endocrinology and Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports. Bioscientifica is a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the Society for Endocrinology.
Recent Press Releases
Web of Science announces 2022 Journal Impact Factors
Mother’s hormone levels predict child’s ability to do maths
Hyperthyroidism could be great cost to countries in disability benefits
Injection of appetite gene may offer a more effective alternative to dieting
Soybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis