Association between COVID-19 and Male Fertility: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

Shangren Wang, Aiqiao Zhang, Yang Pan, Li Liu, Shuai Niu, Fujun Zhang, Xiaoqiang Liu

Journal: The world journal of men's health 2022;41(2):311-329

PMID: 36326165

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Plain Language Summary

Several studies have been published documenting possible relationships between Covid-19 and male infertility, but it remains unclear whether Covid-19 affects sperm quality and sex hormones. This meta-analysis and systematic review of observational studies aimed to determine any relationship between Covid-19 infection and male fertility. The results showed that Covid-19 decreased sperm count, sperm concentration, motility, but had no effect on semen volume, immotility, normal morphology or nonprogressive sperm motility. Infection also affected some hormone levels and that effects on hormones were dependent on age of infection onset. Covid-19 infection with or without fever also differentially affected outcomes with those with fever having reduced sperm concentration and progressive sperm motility, which was not seen in those who did not experience fever. Disease severity also affected outcomes with those with moderate Covid-19 having reduced sperm motility, which was not seen in individuals who had mild disease. It was concluded that Covid-19 infection reduced sperm quality and disrupted sex hormones. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand that Covid-19 infection may affect the fertility of men.

Abstract

PURPOSE

Whether COVID-19 reduces male fertility remains requires further investigation. This meta-analysis and systematic review evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on male fertility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The literature in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to January 01, 2022 was systematically searched, and a meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on male fertility. Totally 17 studies with a total of 1,627 patients and 1,535 control subjects were included in our meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Regarding sperm quality, COVID-19 decreased the total sperm count (p=0.012), sperm concentration (p=0.001), total motility (p=0.001), progressive sperm motility (p=0.048), and viability (p=0.031). Subgroup analyses showed that different control group populations did not change the results. It was found that during the illness stage of COVID-19, semen volume decreased, and during the recovery stage of COVID-19, sperm concentration and total motility decreased <90 days. We found that sperm concentration and total motility decreased during recovery for ≥90 days. Fever because of COVID-19 significantly reduced sperm concentration and progressive sperm motility, and COVID-19 without fever ≥90 days, the sperm total motility and progressive sperm motility decreased. Regarding disease severity, the moderate type of COVID-19 significantly reduced sperm total motility, but not the mild type. Regarding sex hormones, COVID-19 increased prolactin and estradiol. Subgroup analyses showed that during the illness stage, COVID-19 decreased testosterone (T) levels and increased luteinizing hormone levels. A potential publication bias may have existed in our meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 in men significantly reduced sperm quality and caused sex hormone disruption. COVID-19 had long-term effects on sperm quality, especially on sperm concentration and total motility. It is critical to conduct larger multicenter studies to determine the consequences of COVID-19 on male fertility.

Address: Department of Urology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.; Department of Neonatology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.; Department of Neonatology, National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China.; Department of Urology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China. [email protected].

DOI: 10.5534/wjmh.220091