The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Fertility and Female and Male Reproductive Systems

Agnieszka Markiewicz-Gospodarek; Paulina Wdowiak; Marcin Czeczelewski; Alicja Forma; Jolanta Flieger; Jacek Januszewski; Elżbieta Radzikowska-Büchner; Jacek Baj

doi:10.3390/jcm10194520

The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Fertility and Female and Male Reproductive Systems

J Clin Med. 2021 Sep 29;10(19):4520. doi: 10.3390/jcm10194520.

Authors

Agnieszka Markiewicz-Gospodarek¹, Paulina Wdowiak¹, Marcin Czeczelewski¹, Alicja Forma², Jolanta Flieger³, Jacek Januszewski⁴, Elżbieta Radzikowska-Büchner⁴, Jacek Baj¹

Affiliations

¹ Chair and Department of Anatomy, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland.
² Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland.
³ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland.
⁴ Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Maxillary Surgery, Central Clinical Hospital MSWiA, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains a huge challenge for contemporary healthcare systems. Apart from widely reported acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the virus affects many other systems inducing a vast number of symptoms such as gastrointestinal, neurological, dermatological, cardiovascular, and many more. Currently it has also been hypothesized that the virus might affect female and male reproductive systems; SARS-CoV-2 infection could also have a role in potential disturbances to human fertility. In this article, we aimed to review the latest literature regarding the potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on female and male reproductive systems as well as fertility, in general.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV2; female fertility; male fertility; pandemic; reproductive complications.

Publication types

Review