SARS-CoV-2 effects on sperm parameters: a meta-analysis study

Yuanzhi Xie; Mina Mirzaei; Mohammad Saeed Kahrizi; Alireza Mohammadzade Shabestari; Seyed Mohammad Riahi; Marziye Farsimadan; Giandomenico Roviello

doi:10.1007/s10815-022-02540-x

SARS-CoV-2 effects on sperm parameters: a meta-analysis study

J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Jul;39(7):1555-1563. doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02540-x. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Authors

Yuanzhi Xie¹, Mina Mirzaei², Mohammad Saeed Kahrizi³, Alireza Mohammadzade Shabestari⁴, Seyed Mohammad Riahi⁵, Marziye Farsimadan⁶, Giandomenico Roviello⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Reproductive Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China.
² Department of Chemistry, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran.
³ Department of Surgery, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
⁴ Department of Dental Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁵ Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
⁶ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran. mary.farsimadan@gmail.com.
⁷ Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy. giandomenicoroviello@hotmail.it.

Abstract

Aim: The rapid outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed challenges across different medical fields, especially reproductive health, and gave rise to concerns regarding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on male infertility, owing to the fact that the male reproductive system indicated to be extremely vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Only a small number of studies have investigated the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproduction, but the results are not consistent. So, we performed this meta-analysis to draw a clearer picture and evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 on male reproductive system.

Method: We searched Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases to identify the potentially relevant studies. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was applied to assess the relationship. Heterogeneity testing, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias testing were also performed.

Results: A total of twelve studies including 7 case control investigations and 5 retrospective cohort studies were found relevant and chosen for our research. Our result showed that different sperm parameters including semen volume [SMD = - 0.27 (- 0.46, - 1.48) (p = 0.00)], sperm concentration [SMD = - 0.41 (- 0.67, - 0.15) (p = 0.002)], sperm count [SMD = - 0.30 (- 0.44, - 0.17) (p = 0.00)], sperm motility [SMD = - 0.66 (- 0.98, - 0.33) (p = 0.00)], and progressive motility [SMD = - 0.35 (- 0.61, - 0.08) (p = 0.01)] were negatively influenced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, sperm concentration (p = 0.07) and progressive motility (p = 0.61) were not found to be significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in case control studies. No publication bias was detected.

Conclusion: The present study revealed the vulnerability of semen quality to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data showed a strong association of different sperm parameters with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients may negatively influence their fertility potential in a short-term period, but more studies are needed to decide about the long-term effects.

Keywords: COVID-19; Male infertility; Male reproduction; SARS-CoV-2 infection; Semen parameters.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Male
Retrospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2*
Semen
Semen Analysis
Sperm Count
Sperm Motility
Spermatozoa