ReviewJournal of assisted reproduction and genetics2021
The probable destructive mechanisms behind COVID-19 on male reproduction system and fertility.
Review in Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- SARS-CoV-2 infection reduces the number of spermatogonial stem cells and dysregulates the transcriptional landscape of the human testis.Research square · 2026Article
- Modeling the effects of pandemics on physiology-related fertility decline in society.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2026Article
- Repercussion of SARS-CoV-2 on the Sexual Function in Males: An Updated Review.Infectious disorders drug targets · 2025Review
- Evaluating male sexual function and reproductive health during Omicron outbreak in China.PloS one · 2024Article
- Review
- Infection of SARS-CoV-2 causes severe pathological changes in mouse testis.Journal of genetics and genomics = Yi chuan xue bao · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and multi-organ system damage: A review.Biomolecules & biomedicine · 2023Review
- Epigenetics Role in Spermatozoa Function: Implications in Health and Evolution-An Overview.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- Covid-19 vaccination BNT162b2 temporarily impairs semen concentration and total motile count among semen donors.Andrology · 2022Article
- Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 suppresses gonadotrophin secretion from bovine anterior pituitaries.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2022Article
- Effects of Different Drug Therapies and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination on Semen Quality in a Man with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
- Air Pollution and COVID-19: A Possible Dangerous Synergy for Male Fertility.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in semen, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa pellet of COVID-19 patients in the acute stage of infection.PloS one · 2021Article
- Potential effects of COVID-19 on reproductive health: a mini review.American journal of translational research · 2021Review
- Investigating the effects of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on sperm parameters and serum levels of male sexual hormones: Prospective observational study.New microbes and new infectionsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe present study aims to summarize the current understanding of probable mechanisms and claims of adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 on male fertility potential.
methodsOur search was including original articles, reviews, guidelines, letters to the editor, comments on guidelines, and editorials, regarding the male reproductive system. We used the words SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, "2019 ncov," testis, sperm, male factor infertility, fertility treatment, semen, assisted reproductive technology (ART), sexual transmission, and ACE2.
resultsData showed coronavirus affects men more than women because of more expression of 2019 nCoV receptors (ACE2 and TMPRSS2) in testicular cells. Also, "Bioinformatics Analysis" suggests that sperm production may be damaged, since "Pseudo Time Analysis" has shown disruption in spermatogenesis. "Gene Ontology" (GO) showed an increase in viral reproduction and a decrease in sperm production-related terms. Recently, SARS-COV-2 mRNA and protein were detected in the semen of patients that had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, the probable disruption of blood-testis barrier (BTB) in febrile diseases is suspected in the acute phase of the disease enabling viral entry into the testes. Not only is spermatogenesis disturbed, but also disturbs gonadotropin, androgens, and testosterone secretion during SARS-CoV-2 infection. No sexual transmission has been reported yet; however, detection of the virus in semen still makes the sexual transmission an open question.
conclusionThere is a concern that male fertility may be disturbed after the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, follow-up of the reproductive functions and male fertility may be necessary in recovered cases, especially in aged men.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.