Study reveals COVID-19 may reduce fertility in men, others share skepticism

Jan. 31: Severe cases of COVID-19 might impact the quality of a man’s sperm, thus possibly impacting his fertility, according to a new study published this week in the journal Reproduction. “This report provides the first direct evidence to date that COVID-19 infection impairs semen quality and male reproductive potential,” the study said.

There are more extensive studies needed to validate this study’s conclusions — and specify precisely how COVID-19 affects fertility and reproduction for men. But this very ambiguity adds to a pandemic-long series of studies hinting at a real danger for men’s reproductive capacities after recovering from the virus.

However, experts not involved in the study were immediately skeptical about the report’s conclusion and urged caution in overgeneralising the research findings. “I need to raise a strong note of caution in their interpretation of this data. For example, the authors state that their data demonstrates that ‘COVID-19 infection causes significant impairments of male reproductive function’ yet it only actually shows an association,” said Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at The University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Dr. Channa Jayasena, a consultant in reproductive endocrinology and andrology at Imperial College London, also shared her skepticism.

Experts commenting on the research, however, said the capacity of the virus to compromise fertility in men remains unproven. Coronavirus causes respiratory illness, especially in older people and those with underlying medical problems. Experts not involved in the study welcomed the research, but cautioned that more was needed before drawing hard and fast conclusions.