A new study has found that coronavirus could potentially negatively impact male fertility.
Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine looked at men who had died from COVID and found the novel virus was still present in their reproductive organs, reported Fox News.
Several of the victims had “impaired sperm function,” according to the study published in The World Journal of Men’s Health.
More surprisingly, they found traces of the virus in the reproductive organs of a man who had recovered from the illness.
“We also identified the presence of the virus in a man who underwent a testes biopsy for infertility but had a previous history of COVID-19,” said Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, director of reproductive urology at the Miller School.
“So the patient tested negative and was asymptomatic after having COVID-19 but still showed the presence of the virus inside the testes.”
Ramasamy added: “The finding is novel, remarkable, and certainly worthy of further exploration.”
Despite finding traces of COVID in the reproductive organs, it’s unclear if it can be detected in semen or if the virus can be transmitted sexually, the researchers said.
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While further research needs to be conducted to further understand the ramifications of the virus on the reproductive organs, the researchers urge COVID patients who experience testicular pain to see a urologist as soon as possible.
“Testicular pain along with other symptoms could be a sign that COVID-19 has entered the testes, and if men are thinking about fertility and/or low testosterone either at present or in the future, they should get their testosterone levels evaluated with a blood test and sperm parameters evaluated with a semen analysis,” Ramasamy added.
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