ReviewAndrology2021
Current status of the COVID-19 and male reproduction: A review of the literature.
Review in Andrology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Andrological effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2022Pooled it
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on men's reproductive health.Biophysical reviews · 2025Review
- Persistent oligonecrozoospermia after asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. A case report and literature review.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Association of SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Controlled Ovarian Stimulation With Oocyte- and Embryo-Related Outcomes.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2, fertility and assisted reproduction.Human reproduction update · 2023Review
- COVID-19 associates with semen inflammation and sperm quality impairment that reverses in the short term after disease recovery.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Updates in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 infection in male reproductive and sexual health: a literature review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 impacts embryo morphokinetics but not clinical outcomes in a time-lapse imaging system.Molecular reproduction and development · 2023Article
- Corona and Reproduction, or Why the Corona Vaccination Does Not Result in Infertility.Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 2022Article
- Review
- 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
- A Review on Expression, Pathological Roles, and Inhibition of TMPRSS2, the Serine Protease Responsible for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Activation.Scientifica · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which causes serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and lung failure, was first reported in mid-December 2019 in China and has spread around the world. In addition to causing serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and lung failure, there have been conflicting reports about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the semen of patients who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and possible implications for the male reproductive tract.
objectiveThe goal for the present study was to review the current status of the literature concerning COVID-19 and male reproduction. MATERIAL AND
methodsAn electronic literature search was done by using PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Relevant papers, concerning SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 and male reproduction, published between January 2020 and December 2020 were selected, analyzed and eventually included in the present literature review.
resultsSARS-CoV-2 may infect any cell type expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), including reproductive cells. Besides the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, the expression of host proteases, such as transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), is needed to cleave the viral S protein, allowing permanent fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. Here, we aimed to review the current status of the literature concerning COVID-19 and male reproduction. The lack of co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the testis suggests that sperm cells may not be at increased risk of viral entry and spread. However, the presence of orchitis in COVID-19-confirmed patients and compromised sex-related hormonal balance among these patients intrigues reproductive medicine. DISCUSSION: SARS-CoV-2 may use alternate receptors to enter certain cell types, or the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 may not be detected in healthy individuals.
conclusionCOVID-19 challenges all medical areas, including reproductive medicine. It is not yet clear what effects, if any, the COVID-19 pandemic will have on male reproduction. Further research is needed to understand the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproductive function.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.