Zhang Shengnan, Zhang Tingting, Ren Jingchao, Feng Ke, Xia Yanqing, Lu Heng, Liu Mingming, Guo Haibin, Duan Guangcai, Zhang Guanghui, Cao Jia
School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Transl Androl Urol. 2025 Mar 30;14(3):715-728. doi: 10.21037/tau-24-562. Epub 2025 Mar 26.
An association between the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and a reduction in male semen parameters has been described, but no large-scale population analyses have been conducted. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on semen quality. Based on a large-scale ecological comparative study, our study analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on semen quality after the national liberalization of restrictions in China at the end of 2022, aiming to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on semen quality, and provide a basis for the study of the impact of subsequent epidemics on male reproduction as well as clinical diagnosis and treatment.
It is a population-based cross-sectional study. This comparative study was based on the nationwide loosening of COVID-19 curbs in China on December 7, 2022, 1 month after which, an 89% infection rate was reported in Henan Province, China. We compared semen quality and serum hormone levels from January 7, 2023 to April 30, 2023 and January 7, 2022 to April 30, 2022 at the Reproductive Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital.
Our results indicated a significant decrease in semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive sperm motility rate, and non-progressive sperm motility rate following the nationwide relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. The effects on the semen volume and total sperm count persisted over time. Additionally, an increase in the incidence of sperm neck defects has been reported. Infection also led to hormonal disruptions, including alterations in prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and the free testosterone index (FTI) along with an increase in osteocalcin and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH-VD).
The present study revealed that mild COVID-19 appears to have a detrimental effect on semen quality.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）与男性精液参数降低之间的关联已有报道，但尚未进行大规模人群分析。本研究旨在调查COVID-19大流行对精液质量的影响。基于一项大规模生态比较研究，我们的研究分析了2022年底中国全国放宽限制后COVID-19大流行对精液质量的影响，旨在探讨COVID-19大流行对精液质量的影响，并为后续疫情对男性生殖的影响以及临床诊断和治疗的研究提供依据。
这是一项基于人群的横断面研究。这项比较研究基于2022年12月7日中国全国范围内放宽COVID-19防控措施，1个月后，中国河南省报告感染率为89%。我们比较了河南省人民医院生殖中心2023年1月7日至4月30日与2022年1月7日至4月30日的精液质量和血清激素水平。
我们的结果表明，在全国放宽COVID-19限制后，精液量、精子浓度、总精子数、精子前向运动率和非前向运动率显著下降。对精液量和总精子数的影响随时间持续存在。此外，有报道称精子颈部缺陷的发生率增加。感染还导致激素紊乱，包括催乳素（PRL）、睾酮（T）、性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）和游离睾酮指数（FTI）的改变，以及骨钙素和25-羟基维生素D（25-OH-VD）的增加。
本研究表明，轻度COVID-19似乎对精液质量有不利影响。
