Male sperm quality may be affected for several 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 study, are likely to face – probably temporary – difficulties due to the lower number of sperm and their reduced motility.
The researchers, led by Dr. Gilber Donders of the University Hospital of Antwerp, who published their findings in the journal Fertility & Sterility, took sperm samples from 120 men with an average age of 35, on average 52 days after they no longer had symptoms following Covid-19 infection.
It was found that of the men who provided samples less than one month after recovering from symptomatic Covid-19 infection, 60% had reduced sperm motility and 37% had reduced sperm count. Of the men who provided a semen sample one to two months after recovery, 37% had reduced sperm motility and 29% had reduced sperm count. Of the men who provided a sample at least two months after their recovery, 28% had reduced sperm motility and 6% had reduced sperm count.
The severity of the previous Covid-19 infection did not appear to be associated with the degree of decline 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 pointed out that «couples wishing to conceive 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 noted that further studies are needed to confirm this and to determine whether sperm may suffer more permanent damage in a minority of men.
