new Delhi Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus can have a negative impact on semen quality, according to a study conducted on 30 men by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The study, published in the Curious Journal of Medical Science, examined the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the semen of men with COVID-19.
A team led by researchers from AIIMS Patna found that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can cause multi-organ damage through angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor abundant in testicular tissue. However, little is known about the reduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in semen and its effect on spermatogenesis and fertility. We planned to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the semen of COVID-19 men and to study the effect of COVID-19 on semen quality and sperm DNA fragmentation index.
Thirty male COVID-19 patients aged 19-45 registered at AIIMS Patna Hospital participated in the survey between October 2020 and April 2021. The researchers performed a real-time reverse transcriptase test on all semen samples. Detailed semen analysis, including sperm DNA fragmentation index, was done in the first sample that is during COVID-19. After 74 days of first sample, second sample was taken and all the above tests were repeated.
“All semen samples collected in the first and second samples tested with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were negative for SARS-CoV-2. In the first sample, semen volume, vitality, total motility, sperm concentration, total sperm count, % normal morphology, % cytoplasmic droplet, and fructose were significantly lower,” according to the research.
In contrast, semen agglutination, % head defects, DNA fragmentation index, liquefaction time, semen viscosity, and leukocytes were increased. These findings were reversed in the second sample but not to an optimal level. All these findings were statistically significant (P < 0.05 for all). Thus, COVID-19 negatively affects semen parameters including sperm DNA fragmentation index.
“Although we could not find SARS-CoV-2 in the semen, the semen quality remained poor till the second sample. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinics and sperm banking facilities should consider assessing semen of COVID-19 men and should exclude men with a positive history of SARS-CoV-2 until their semen quality returns to normal Do not happen, ”said the authors of the research
According to the researchers, these results were reversed in the second sample, but not to an optimal level.
The researchers said that assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and sperm banking facilities should consider assessing semen from COVID-19 infected men.
ART includes all fertility treatments in which either eggs or embryos are handled. The researchers said these clinics should exclude men with a positive history of SARS-CoV-2 until their semen quality returns to normal.
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