A Review of Recent Studies on the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines on Male Reproductive Health

Overview

Journal Med Sci Monit

Specialties General Medicine
Pathology

Date 2022 Mar 21

PMID 35313326

Authors

Leila Adamyan

Vladimir Elagin

Valeriy Vechorko

Assia Stepanian

Anton Dashko

Dmitriy Doroshenko

Yana Aznaurova

Maxim Sorokin

Andrew Garazha

Anton Buzdin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

According to world statistics, men are more susceptible to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than are women. Considering the interconnection between infections and male infertility, investigation of the potential impact of COVID-19 on men's reproductive health is now a particularly relevant topic. Published data indicate decreased sperm quality and orchitis development in patients with COVID-19, including reduced sperm count, decreased sperm motility, and elevated DNA fragmentation index. Although mass vaccination against COVID-19 is currently being carried out worldwide using available authorized vaccines, the effect of these vaccines on men's reproductive health has not yet been investigated. There is currently no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in semen, but available data suggest that it can infect spermatogonia, spermatids, Leydig cells, and Sertoli cells. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 orchitis and reduced male fertility may be long-term complications of COVID-19, which requires further investigation. Currently, there is also no evidence that vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have any pathological effects on spermatogenesis or male reproductive health. Thus, further studies are needed to determine the effects of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines on men's reproductive health, which will help to optimize the management and rehabilitation of these patients. This review aims to discuss recent studies on the impact of the COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines on men's reproductive health. The article addresses various issues such as the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on testosterone biosynthesis, semen parameters, testicular tissue, and epididymis.

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