31 Jan 2021
A German study suggests that the Chinese coronavirus may inflict long-term on male fertility, with sperm quality significantly impacted over a period of 60 days.
Researchers at the Justus-Liebig University compared 84 coronavirus-infected men with a 104-strong age-matched control group, and found, according to the
Telegraph, that “sperm concentration was reduced by 516 per cent, mobility by 209 per cent and sperm cell shape was altered by 400 per cent”.
“These effects on sperm cells are associated with lower sperm quality and reduced fertility potential,” explained PhD student Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki, who led the research.
“Although these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and abnormally higher in the Covid-19 patients, and the magnitude of these changes were also related to disease severity,” Maleki added, warning that “the male reproductive system should be considered a vulnerable route of Covid-19 infection and shoul
Podcast Review: Sperm – swimming and surviving
Did you know that all successful sperm must be sleek, speedy and streamlined?
As both an avid podcast listener and a scientist myself, I am surprised that this was my first introduction to The Naked Scientists. The group host a plethora of different podcast series, with subjects ranging from neuroscience to astronomy. They release daily short episodes that concisely detail a single topic, as well as a longer weekly flagship podcast.
In this short episode, The Naked Scientist host and medical consultant, Dr Chris Smith, interviews sperm expert, Professor Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield. With just seven minutes to detail the focus of his entire academic career, Professor Pacey began by illustrating the structure of sperm, likening their cross-section to a stick of rock that you might buy at the seaside ; an analogy that can be appreciated by experts and non-experts alike, setting the tone for a broadly accessible podca