German study published in Reproduction shows that COVID-19 infection can cause increased sperm cell death, inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to lower sperm quality and potentially reducing pregnancy.
The findings provide direct experimental evidence that the male reproductive system may be targeted and damaged by COVID-19, suggesting that male reproductive function should be evaluated after infection to prevent further fertility problems. seek and avoid.
Although COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets that affect the lungs, kidneys, intestines and heart, studies have found that it can affect the organs induction of male reproduction, adversely affecting sperm cell development and disruption of reproductive hormones.
Justus-Liebig University PhD student and lead researcher Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki and his team studied the effect of COVID-19 infection on male fertility by evaluating symptoms of inflammation, oxidative stress, sperm cell death and semen quality. Analyzes were performed at 10-day intervals for a follow-up period of 60 days, in 84 men with COVID-19 and 105 confirmed healthy controls by age. An urology expert concluded that all men were pregnant.
In men with COVID-19, inflammation symptoms and oxidative stress in sperm cells were significantly increased by more than 100% compared with healthy controls by age; pathways that enable sperm cell death have been activated; sperm density was reduced by 516%, moving 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 pregnancy potential,” explained Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki.
“While these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and significantly higher in COVID-19 patients, and the magnitude of these changes was also related to the level of disease.
“The results of this study also suggest that the male reproductive system should be considered a vulnerable pathway 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 needed to confirm the findings from this study and find out exactly how COVID-19 affects fertility and fertility in men.