Mechanisms by Which SARS-CoV-2 May Impact Male Fertility

Reprod Sci. 2021 Feb;28(2):332-333. doi: 10.1007/s43032-020-00304-5. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything we have experienced in over a century. In the USA, waves of COVID-19 have migrated from the Northeast to the Sun Belt to the Midwest over the past year. Compared with females, males are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, have more severe COVID-19 disease, and have higher death rates. In many countries, men are consistently more likely to die by a factor of almost 2. This article describes some of the mechanisms by which COVID-19 may be associated with male infertility, as discussed by Dutta and Sengupta.

Keywords: COVID-19; Male fertility; SARS-CoV-2.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / complications*
  • Fertility / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Infertility, Male / virology*
  • Male
  • Pandemics