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Scientists say that there is increasing evidence in patients of testicular damage and lower sperm counts and mobility, with initial studies revealing the presence of the virus in semen samples.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the Justus-Liebig-University in Germany. along with scientists from Allameh Tabataba\u2019i University in Iran have\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0 significant inflammation markers in samples of testicular tissue from 84 Covid-19 patients.<\/p>\n They discovered that the inflammation and cellular stress were twice as severe in the Covid-19 positive group as in a control group.<\/p>\n Researchers also noted that sperm was three times slower in COVID patients, and sperm count in general was much lower.<\/p>\n The study found that sperm concentration was reduced by\u00a0516 per cent<\/strong>, mobility by\u00a0209 per cent\u00a0<\/strong>and sperm cell shape was altered by\u00a0400 per cent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The researchers further noted that this represents oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, one of the most common causes of subfertility in men.<\/p>\n \u201cThese effects on sperm cells are associated with lower sperm quality and reduced fertility potential,\u201d\u00a0noted lead researcher Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and abnormally higher in the Covid-19 patients, and the magnitude of these changes were also related to disease severity,\u201d Maleki further warned.<\/p>\n In addition, Researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan (yes, that Wuhan) have issued a call for a long term study into the effects of the virus on male fertility.<\/p>\n \u201cWe propose that there is an urgent need to track male Covid-19 patients during their recovery,\u201d\u00a0microbiologist Yu Tian and reproductive biologist Li-quan Zhou\u00a0noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n Previous studies have pointed toward a correlation between the virus and reduced fertility.<\/p>\n Last year a\u00a0Miami University study<\/a>\u00a0found that COVID-19 can invade\u00a0tissues in the testicles<\/a>\u00a0and \u00a0impair sperm function.<\/p>\n In January a review of studies\u00a0published in the journal\u00a0Open Biology\u00a0<\/a>warned that COVID posses a \u201cglobal threat to male fertility potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Spanish scientists have also reported<\/a>\u00a0worrying signs of the virus attacking male reproductive organs.<\/p>\n Research conducted by\u00a0Professor Dan Aderka<\/a>\u00a0of the Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel, reported that the\u00a0virus<\/a>\u00a0was present in 13 percent of\u00a0sperm<\/a>\u00a0samples taken from screened COVID-19 patients. He also found a 50 percent reduction in sperm volume, concentration, and motility in patients with moderate symptoms 30 days post diagnosis.<\/p>\n Another study conducted last year\u00a0by researchers in Shangqiu, China<\/a>\u00a0discovered the presence of the virus in sperm, raising concerns that it could be sexually transmitted.<\/p>\n The list of studies linking the virus to potential infertility is endless.<\/p>\n Global fertility rates were already decreasing before COVID at a\u00a0\u201cjaw dropping\u201d rate<\/a>, with one study published in The\u00a0Lancet\u00a0<\/a>highlighting that the global fertility rate almost halved to 2.4 in 2017, and projections indicate that\u00a0it will fall below 1.7 by 2100.<\/p>\n Other studies<\/a>\u00a0have noted that the \u201cTotal sperm count in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand dropped by up to 60% in the 38 years between 1973 and 2011\u201d and more recent research shows the trend is continuing.<\/p>\n In addition, it is projected that the fall out of COVID will lead to\u00a0a huge decline in the birth rate<\/a>\u00a0as people simply choose not to bring children into the world at this time.<\/p>\n