After Covid-19, the quality of the sperm of men affected by the disease deteriorates. Morphological, mobility or quantity disorders can last for several months in rare cases.
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[EN VIDÉO] We finally know how a sperm swims! The first microscopic observations of sperm described the swimming of male sex cells like that of eels. This was the consensus for hundreds of years until a team of researchers decided to observe the swimming of sperm in 3D.
Covid-19 is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can still disrupt the sperm. A Belgian study carried out on 120 men cured of Covid-19 shows that the infection alters the mobility of spermatozoa as well as their number, up to two months after the appearance of symptoms.
Reduced sperm quality after Covid-19
First, the scientists looked for the presence of RNA from coronavirus in semen some participants. A negative income test for all samples, confirming that the SARS-CoV-2 cannot develop in sperm-producing cells.
In contrast, the total number of sperm produced and their mobility are profoundly reduced, especially in the first month after illness. Only 24.6% of the samples analyzed were normal. For the others, the scientists observed an alteration in the mobility of the spermatozoa or no mobility at all, but also morphological defects and an insufficient quantity of sperm in semen.
At one month post-Covid, 60% of the samples showed disorders of sperm mobility, 37% between one and two months post-Covid and still 28% more than two months post-Covid. The sperm count is too low for 37% of men tested one month after infection, for 29% of them at 1-2 months after infection.infection and for only 6% two months later.
These observations do not correlate with the gravity symptoms contracted by participants. While unrest still persists two months after Covid-19, scientists do not yet know if some of these anomalies can last longer. This has an impact for couples who are planning to have a baby. The quality of the sperm in a man who had Covid could not be optimal and this for several months.
Covid-19 could also degrade sperm quality
Article published on January 30, 2021 by Futura with AFP-Relaxnews
Less mobile, less concentrated and altered in shape, the sperm of men who have contracted a severe form of Covid-19 are of lower quality, according to the findings of a German study involving a small number of patients. Is the male reproductive system targeted and will it be on the list of sequelae following the disease? Further work is needed to see a link between fertility and Covid-19.
Covid-19 could alter the quality of the sperm of men who contracted it, according to a German study published on Friday in the scientific journal Reproduction, involving a small number of patients and whose conclusions will need to be confirmed by other work. The team of researchers from the Justus-Liebig University (Giessen, Germany) analyzed regularly for two months semen of 84 men (under the age of 40) infected with the coronavirus, mostly with a severe form, and compared it with that of 105 individuals who did not contract the disease.
In men with Covid-19, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in sperm were twice as high compared to the control group. The authors also find a concentration of sperm and an mobility of these ” significantly less And many more sperm with altered form among participants with Covid.
” These results constitute the first direct experimental evidence that the male reproductive system can be targeted and affected by Covid-19 », They conclude. They underline that the observed alterations correspond to a state of ” oligoasthenoteratospermia, which is one of the most common causes of subfertility in men “.
No proof yet
Experts who were not involved in the study warn, however, that more research needs to be done before drawing any conclusions. ” Men should not be overly alarmed. There is currently no established evidence of long-term damage caused by Covid-19 to sperm or male reproductive potential. », Moderated Alison Campbell, director of embryology for the group of specialized clinics Care Fertility.
Fever can negatively impact sperm production, regardless of the illness that caused it
The authors themselves observe that one hypothesis is that the results observed are due to the treatments received by certain patients, in particular the corticosteroids, the antivirals and the antiretrovirals, some studies having demonstrated a negative impact on sperm quality. 44% of participants in the Covid group had been treated with corticosteroids and 69% with antivirals.
Regardless of the action of the coronavirus, ” we already know that the fever can have a negative impact on sperm production, regardless of the disease that caused it », Also notes Allan Pacey, specialist in male fertility at the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom).
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