Coronavirus Can Damage Sperm Count and Fertility in Men, All You Need to Know!

A new study based on experimental evidence says that contracting SARS-COV-2 damages the sperm count and can cause infertility in men.

Ever since the Coronavirus entered our life, we have heard of many side-effects and complications which happened if one contract COVID-19. A new study based on experimental evidence says that contracting SARS-COV-2 damages the sperm count and can cause infertility in men.

Coronavirus globally has impacted 101 million people and has 2.19 million lives. As per the study, viral disease can cause increased sperm cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The authors conclude that COVID-19 can damage and target the male reproductive system.

However, it is not yet proved about the capacity of the virus and how much it can compromise the fertility of men, as per researchers.

Another study, published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility, says that Covid-19 can cause male infertility by harming the testicular cells which produce sperms thereby making it difficult to make the female pregnant, says a new study done by the scientists of Israel. It further claims that the studied men had a reduction of around 50 percent on average of the number of sperm per milliliter, the total volume of ejaculate, and motility of sperm.
Nobody knows yet how severe this problem is and these effects are reversible or not. Infection is accepted as a possible underlying cause of male infertility. For example, mumps may have a long-term effect on the fertility of male patients and can cause azoospermia, so we know viruses can have such an impact.

Dr Shobha Gupta, Medical Director and IVF Specialist from Mother’s Lap IVF Centre says: “I wouldn’t be surprised if this virus causes a temporary down in sperm production. People who get coronavirus are probably quite unwell, they are having low immunity even influenza will cause a decline in sperm count temporarily. The question is how long it will last and whether it is recoverable.”

“Every time there is a new thing coming up with this virus, we are still learning and if the person has low immunity and is prone to catch the infection in any way the sperm count is affected and can cause male infertility” she added.
Mask-wearing can help to protect their fertility during the pandemic, even if one ultimately becomes infected.
“Men who have moderate or serious Covid-19 infections could find their fertility impaired for an unknown amount of time. Because mild cases don’t seem to affect fertility, I would advise men to wear facemasks. This way, even if they get sick, their immune systems will be dealing with a smaller viral load and consequently, they’ll have a milder form of the disease and there have to be more studies to confirm how severe this problem is, once the patient recovers semen parameters may improve” said Dr. Anubha Singh, another city-based Gynecologist, and IVF Specialist from Shantah Fertility Centre.

Choose a healthy life and take precautions, as this virus is very new and nobody knows how to recover from it or how not to catch the infection. So we have to be on guard till the vaccine comes. Follow these advices as precautions to protect fertility:

-Wear Masks and do proper sanitizing
-Avoid being overweight
-Do not smoke and refrain yourself as much as you can from consuming alcohol
-Do not wear tight underwear as it can affect the circulation of blood in the genital region and raise the temperature of the testicles which further decreases the sperm count
-Avoid keeping mobile phones near genital area as it causes radiation also do not place laptops on your lap as it can raise the scrotum temperature
-Eat nutritious food and exercise regularly to maintain healthy immunity

(With inputs from IANS)