Semen quality may be impaired after COVID-19

Young, sexually active men who recover from COVID-19 may be at risk for fertility problems, a small study from Italy suggests. Doctors who analyzed semen samples from 43 such men found that in 25%, the semen was nearly or completely devoid of sperm.

A complete absence of sperm, or azoospermia, was “highly related to the severity of the illness: the condition was found in four out of five patients admitted to the intensive care unit,” researchers reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

While most of the men had fathered children, a few reported previous problems having a baby with a long-term partner, and the researchers acknowledge that they did not have any pre-COVID-19 semen samples for comparison purposes.

Still, the researchers said their finding that one-in-four men who recovered from COVID-19 had little or no sperm in their semen suggests that “an assessment of semen quality should be recommended for men of reproductive age who are affected by COVID-19.

via Reuters