Male sperm quality can be affected for a few months after recovery from Covid-19 infection, according to a small Belgian scientific study. The sperm itself did not appear to contain and therefore transmit the coronavirus, but couples who want to have a child, according to the research, will probably face – rather temporary – difficulties, due to the smaller number of sperm and their lower mobility.
The researchers, led by Dr Gilbert Doders of Antwerp University Hospital, who published their findings in the fertility and infertility journal Fertility & Sterility, according to Reuters, took sperm samples from 35 men aged 35 years, on average 52 days after they no longer had symptoms after Covid-19 infection.
It was found that of the men who sampled less than a month after recovering from a symptomatic Covid-19 infection, 60% had reduced sperm motility and 37% had a reduced amount. Of the men who had a sperm sample one to two months after recovery, 37% had reduced sperm motility and 29% had reduced sperm count. Of the men who sampled after at least two months of recovery, 28% had reduced sperm motility and 6% had reduced numbers.
The severity of the previous Covid-19 infection did not appear to be associated with the degree of reduction in sperm quality. The coronavirus was not detected in the semen of any of the men in the study either shortly after or long after recovery.
The researchers noted that “couples with a desire for pregnancy should be warned that sperm quality after Covid-19 infection may not be the best possible.” They estimated that in most men sperm quality would be restored about three months after recovery, but said further studies needed to confirm this, as well as determine whether sperm could be more permanently damaged in a minority of men.
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