‘COVID-19 may cause male infertility’

EXPERTS have asked Nigerian men to adhere to frequent hand washing, use of face masks and physical distance to guide against COVID-19 based on new evidence that the infection could cause male infertility.

In a new Israeli study, researchers found the virus in the sperm of 13 per cent of screened male COVID-19 patients including a 50 per cent reduction in the sperm volume, concentration and motility in patients 30 days after they were diagnosed with COVID-19.

According to the study, postmortem tests of 12 COVID-19 patients demonstrated moderate to severe changes in the cells of the testis that is supporting sperm development and those producing testosterone, the hormone that induces sperm division and multiplication.

Dr Augustus Takure, a consultant urologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, stated that COVID-19 could affect sperm production because of its effect on the functions of the testes.

According to him, like coronavirus disrupts the function of the lung, causing chest pain or the intestines, causing intestinal problems, the virus, when it enters into the testes, binds to some receptors in this organ to cause a disruption in sperm and testosterone production.

Dr Takure, however, said the reduction in sperm quality and testosterone production is not the same as male infertility.

“It can reduce sperm quality, but a reduction in sperm quality is not the same thing as infertility. The new Israeli study only postulated that this virus may result in infertility but they have not proven it yet. We need to be very careful. It is a new disease.

“Studies have only shown that the virus is present in the sperm. But does it really lead to infertility? We can’t say that until we have further information about those people. Male infertility is multifactorial and so you have to consider all those factors before such can be confirmed to be true.”

D r Takure, however, said the observation that coronavirus is observed in the sperm should make men take preventive measures to reduce the chances of getting contaminated because COVID-19 is a novel disease that is yet to be fully understood.

Dr Dan Aderka of Sheba Medical Centre, who conducted the study, said: “As normal sperm maturation takes 70 to 75 days, it is possible that if we are doing a sperm examination two and a half months after recovery, we may see even more reduced fertility. It could be even more detrimental.”

He added that it is also still unclear if the effects on the quality and quantity of the sperm are reversible or persistent.

He said doctors would need to examine these same patients six months and a  year after recovery to see if the damage “stands the test of time.”

This is something his team is planning to do.

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