Does Covid 19 Affect Male Fertility?

The world was in a panic when the Sars-cov2 came into existence on the face of the earth. To date, the pandemic has not only affected the world economically, physically but also mentally. Unfortunately, covid has affected us in more ways than we can pinpoint. So far the total number of covid cases around the world are 17.8Cr and the number of deaths around the world is 38.6lakhs. (June 2021)

It is disturbing to think about what a virus can do. Recent studies have found that covid has effects in more ways than we can think of. Thus in this article, we will learn about the effects of the coronavirus on male fertility.

How does Covid 19 affect the fertility rate?

Covid has been hard on the people, the government, and our senior citizens. In this situation having a baby requires a lot of planning and precaution. As it is, the mother requires extra care during the time of pregnancy, on top of it one has to save themselves from a deadly airborne virus. In a survey conducted in 2020, many couples in the United States have shown reluctance in having a child at this crucial time. 

In another survey in Italy, where 64% of the participants were highly educated expressed that they were reluctant to try to conceive during the covid 19 waves. Moreover, the ecstasy of having a sex life during this time has also reduced among couples. Ever since the lockdown, couples have become more frustrated and thus the sex life and libido has gone down the drain. 

Furthermore, this situation of having a shortage of health workers and the death of doctors is not only depressing but also has a potential risk over the baby’s life due to lack of medical support. Parenthood is the most beautiful thing in the world and bringing a life into the world can be the greatest deed there is, however, to give birth and to raise a child in a world with a mutating virus is a risk no one wants to take. It is a potential threat to not only the child but also the mother. 

Studies have found that pregnancy can increase the risk of being a victim of the covid 19 viruses. Pregnant women who may come in contact with the virus have a risk of developing respiratory problems. And the women, who have underlying diseases like diabetes, may have a higher risk of the illness. 

A study tested semen of a covid affected male, the viral mRNA was identified in the semen. This all points that it is relatively unsafe to get pregnant or try to conceive at this point of the pandemic.

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Does covid vaccine affect fertility in males?

Now that we talked about the effect of coronavirus on the fertility rate and pregnant women, let us talk about the vaccine which is basically a part of the virus subdued and injected into our bodies. There was a rumour that the coronavirus vaccine may cause infertility among men and women, however, none of the studies so far has found it to be true. A study in 2021 which was the first of its kind showed that the males who were vaccinated with two doses of mRNA are completely healthy.

Moreover, the vaccine seemed to do the opposite of the expected. After two doses of the vaccine, the median semen concentration was shown to significantly increase by 30 million/mL and the total mobile sperm count (TMSC) was known to be increased by 44 million/ml, the semen volume was also shown to significantly increase. Moreover , few reports state that the Sars-Cov2 has the ability to cause harm to the sperms therefore vaccination will prevent such harm.

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Conclusion

While everyone is praying for the pandemic to be over soon, it does not necessarily mean that we need to put our lives to a halt. The studies suggesting that men and women are perfectly safe with regards to their reproductive systems, one should be careful about bringing a new life into this messed up covid situation.