Germany
Covid-19 could alter the sperm quality of the men who contracted it, according to a German study published on Friday, conducted with a small number of patients, whose conclusions need to be confirmed by other studies.
The team of researchers at Justus-Liebig University (Giessen, Germany) regularly analyzed the semen of 84 men (under 40 years old) infected with the coronavirus, most of them severely affected, and compared it with that of another 105 individuals who have not become infected.
Among men sick with covid-19, the markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in sperm were twice as high as in the control group, according to the paper published in the scientific journal Reproduction.
The authors also found a concentration of semen and a “markedly lower” mobility of the latter, as well as much more shape-altered sperm among the participants affected by covid.
“These results are the first direct experimental evidence that the male reproductive system can be targeted and affected by COVID-19,” they conclude.
They also underline that the observed changes correspond to a state of “oligoasthenoteratospermia, one of the most common causes of hypofertility in men”.
However, experts who did not participate in the study warn that further research is needed to draw conclusions.
“Men should not be overly alarmed. At this time, there is no proven evidence of long-term damage from COVID-19 to sperm or possible male reproduction,” said Alison Campbell, embryology director of the Care Fertility specialty clinic group.
The authors note that it is hypothesized that the results observed are due to the treatments some patients received, particularly corticosteroids, antivirals and antiretrovirals, as some studies have shown a negative impact on sperm quality.
44% of the participants in the covid group received corticosteroids as treatment and 69% with antivirals.
Regardless of how the coronavirus works, “we already know that fever can negatively affect sperm production, whatever disease it causes,” said Allan Pacey, male fertility specialist at the University of Sheffield. United).