Coronavirus disease and male fertility: a systematic review
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Authors
Fathi, Mobina
Vakili, Kimia
Aliaghaei, Abbas
Nematollahi, Shahrzad
Peirouvi, Tahmineh
Shalizar-Jalali, Ali
Issue Date
2021-08-16
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Coronavirus Disease , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme , Testis , Sperm , Male Fertility
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background:
Based on the information from other SARS-CoV infections in the patients recovered from COVID-19, particularly cases in the reproductive age, gonadal function evaluation and andrological consultation comprising semen analysis are recommended.
Main body:
Based on the COVID-19 infected patients’ seminal fluid analyses, SARS-CoV-2 may employ the male reproductive system as a transmission pathway. It has been also demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) can be strongly expressed at the protein levels in the testicular cells. The high expression of ACE2 in testes suggests that testes in the COVID-19 infected males can have an important role in the viral persistence and this subject needs further investigations. Several researchers have examined males recovered from COVID-19, but still, large-scale experiments are needed to determine the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the male reproductive system as well as viral transmission risk.
Conclusion:
Comprehensive researches are required to figure out the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in seminal fluid as well as its sexual transmissibility and impact on sperm characteristics.
Description
Citation
Fathi, M., Vakili, K., Aliaghaei, A., Nematollahi, S., Peirouvi, T., & Shalizar-Jalali, A. (2021). Coronavirus disease and male fertility: a systematic review. Middle East Fertility Society journal, 26(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43043-021-00073-4
Publisher
Middle East Fertility Society Journal