Here’s How COVID-19 Impacts Male Fertility, Says New Study

Of all the factors affecting fertility—from where you store your cell phone to recreational drug use and plastics exposure—science is adding another modern reality to the list: Covid-19.

Men can make certain choices to boost fertility, making it equally important to understand which external factors could be damaging, too. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the US once again, and with more than 12% of American couples estimated to be experiencing infertility, some scientists have found it worth investigating: Could the many long-term health implications of Covid include harming our reproductive capacity?

In June 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) put forth an official definition of long Covid at the request of several government entities, defining the disease as “an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least three months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state that affects one or more organ systems.” NASEM notes that respiratory issues, fatigue, problems with memory or concentration, heart health complications, trouble sleeping and digestive symptoms could all be signs of long Covid—but, they add, a full list would require hundreds of entries.

In order to get a clearer picture of Covid’s lasting impact on the human body, leading researchers around the globe have examined its effects on seemingly unrelated factors like our hair, skin and, yes, reproductive health. However, most prior research on Covid and fertility has focused on female sex organs—which is why a new study out of Japan is evolving the conversation as it relates to men.

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In this study, published in June 2024 in the Journal of Infection & Chemotherapy, the researchers focused on men who had recovered from Covid-19 to analyze its potential lingering impact on their reproductive function. The participants, aged between 38 and 52, provided semen samples for evaluation.

The semen analyses revealed that the median semen volume was 2.5 milliliter, and the median sperm concentration was 98.9 million per milliliter. According to the Mayo Clinic, this meets the metric for diagnosing low sperm count, which is classified as fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter.

But while the small sample per milliliter yielded technically low sperm count, the median total sperm count was 212.1 million. Compared to a previous study of adult Japenese men which calculated the median total sperm count to be about 201 million, these results indicate that recovered Covid-19 patients may not have lower sperm counts than they had before infection, suggesting that Covid’s impact on male fertility could be minimal.

The severity of Covid cases varied between participants, but the researchers report there was no significant decrease in sperm quality even among those with severe cases. Reassuringly, these findings indicate that Covid-19 may not negatively affect male reproductive health.

The research team notes that the hypothesized reasons Covid affects sperm “may be primarily due to the systemic inflammatory response and the induction of oxidative stress.” More research may be warranted, but the study may serve as a reminder that the best way to protect yourself from potential poor outcomes is to take preventive measures against COVID-19. This includes getting vaccinated, following public health guidelines and staying informed about the latest research.

Also, in the event future research finds that indeed inflammation and oxidative stress do have an impact on fertility, it’s worth following lifestyle habits that counteract this effect. This includes following a healthy diet full of plants while avoiding inflammatory foods like processed meat, practicing regular exercise, and getting restful sleep, which repairs the body’s cells.

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