COVID-19 Infection Significantly Reduces Sperm Quality in Men, finds study
Researchers have discovered in a new study that COVID-19 infection is highly related to a reduction in sperm quality among men, indicating that the virus can negatively affect male reproductive health. The research reached the conclusion that men who contracted COVID-19 had lower quality semen compared to those who had not been infected, and changes were statistically significant. The study was conducted by Lulu Yuan and fellow researchers published in the journal of Scientific Reports.
The study constituted two large elements: a cross-sectional study that included 604 male participants and a longitudinal study that comprised 140 COVID-19-infected men and 149 uninfected natural controls. The cross-sectional analysis included men who donated semen specimens following a proven COVID-19 infection. The longitudinal arm of the study followed semen samples from the same patients prior to and subsequent to infection. To provide comparison, the control group for the longitudinal study was composed of uninfected men who provided two semen specimens over the same duration.
Researchers measured both conventional and high-tech sperm quality indicators, such as total sperm count, percentage of grade A sperm, progressive and total motility, sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and chromatin maturity.
Results
In the cross-sectional study, men with COVID-19 had lower sperm quality compared to uninfected controls:
Total sperm count: 159.58×10⁶ vs. 185.42×10⁶; P = 0.042
Percentage of grade A sperm: 5.37% vs. 8.45%; P = 0.009
Progressive motility: 24.74% vs. 28.73%; P = 0.023
Total motility: 32.04% vs. 36.91%; P = 0.022
Sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI): 17.50% vs. 11.75%; P = 0.030
In the longitudinal study, in which participants were examined before and after infection, a consistent pattern of sperm quality deterioration was seen:
Total sperm count: decreased from 173.63×10⁶ to 131.80×10⁶ (Δd = -20.49×10⁶); P = 0.018
Grade A sperm percentage: decreased from 8.50% to 2.61% (Δd = -3.18%); P < 0.001
Progressive motility: decreased from 24.88% to 19.82% (Δd = -5.07%); P < 0.001
Total motility: decreased from 32.25% to 26.64% (Δd = -5.62%); P < 0.001
DFI: increased from 26.49% to 32.10% (Δd = 5.61%); P = 0.039
The research presents strong evidence that COVID-19 infection can seriously undermine sperm quality in men and, potentially, fertility. With a high percentage of infected patients showing loss in sperm concentration, motility, and DNA integrity, the findings support the importance of fertility evaluations for men who have recovered from COVID-19. The findings also emphasize the significance of fertility monitoring over the long term in male patients after infection.
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