Sperm count hugely declined in Covid infected men, say experts at ISAR meet in Bhopal

A study led by a team of IVF and ART experts suggested that Covid-19 had an adverse impact on the sperm count of men after recovery from the infection. Skipping the right age of marriage, between 20 to 30, would lead to young men and women facing difficulty in conceiving, experts cautioned.

Bhopal: Coronavirus can impair fertility in men, experts claimed in the ongoing Indian Society For Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) conference in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal. According to the IVF (in vitro fertilization) and ART (assisted reproductive technology) experts, a study has revealed that there has been a huge decline in sperm count in men who were infected and then recovered from Covid-19.

More than 800 delegates from across the country gathered here for the conference. Apart from that, many doctors from around the globe were also present. Dr Robert Fischer from Germany stressed that the male sperm count has gone down due to stress levels in individuals. In today's times, youth are so focused on their jobs and careers that marriages are delayed. Skipping the right age of marriage, that is, between the age of 20 to 30, would lead to young men and women facing difficulty in conceiving, he added.

The conference discussed at length the correlation between Covid-19 and the quality of sperm count in men. Dr Nandita Palshetkar, IVF and ART specialist and President of ISAR, here at the international conference said that due to Covid infection, the sperm samples taken of Covid-infected men were too low. The study suggests that indirect effects on male reproductive health linger even after recovery from coronavirus.

Dr Randhir Singh, chairman of the organizing committee, highlighted another aspect of reduced sperm count in men. He observed that most of the patients who go to the gym and consume protein powder face fertility issues as the steroids harm the testicular cells which produce sperm.