A new study based on experimental evidence showed that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may reduce the quality and fertility of sperm in men.
In a report on AFP, researchers found that COVID-19 can cause increased sperm cell death, inflammation and so-called oxidative stress. This is based on a report in the science journal Reproduction.
“These findings provide the first direct experimental evidence that the male reproductive system could be targeted and damaged by COVID-19,” researcher said in the study.
The capacity of the virus to make men infertile remains to be unproven and still needs further study to back them up.
The virus can be transmitted through respiratory droplets and can affect the lungs, kidneys, intestines and heart.
Early studies have shown the the virus uses the same receptors found in the testicles, but the effect of the virus on the ability of men to reproduce is still unclear.
In the same AFP report, Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki and Bakhtyar Tartibian from Justus-Liebig-University in Germany also looked into negative impacts of the virus on fertility.
The analysis done at 10-day intervals for 60 days in 84 men with COVID-19 was compared to data for 105 healthy men. Sperm cells of COVID-19 patients showed that there’s significant indicators of inflammation, oxidative stress and chemical imbalance in the body.
“These effects on sperm cells are associated with lower sperm quality and reduced fertility potential,” said Maleki in a statement.
“Although these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and abnormally higher in the COVID-19 patients,” he added.
British experts on the other hand said that men should not be alarmed and the warning on possible impact on fertility since there is no definitive study of long lasting COVID-19 impact.
