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Evaluation of sex‐related hormones and semen characteristics in reproductive‐aged male COVID‐19 patients
Author(s) -
Ma Ling,
Xie Wen,
Li Danyang,
Shi Lei,
Ye Guangming,
Mao Yanhong,
Xiong Yao,
Sun Hui,
Zheng Fang,
Chen Zhimin,
Qin Jyuling,
Lyu Jing,
Zhang Yuanzhen,
Zhang Ming
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.26259
Subject(s) - semen , testosterone (patch) , physiology , luteinizing hormone , semen quality , hormone , sex hormone binding globulin , semen analysis , coronavirus , biology , medicine , covid-19 , endocrinology , immunology , andrology , disease , androgen , pregnancy , infertility , infectious disease (medical specialty) , genetics
In the past several months, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐associated infection (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID‐19]) developed rapidly and has turned into a global pandemic. Although SARS‐CoV‐2 mainly attacks respiratory systems, manifestations of multiple organs have been observed. A great concern was raised about whether COVID‐19 may affect male reproductive functions. In this study, we collected semen specimens from 12 male COVID‐19 patients for virus detection and semen characteristics analysis. No SARS‐CoV‐2 was found in semen specimens. Eight out of 12 patients had normal semen quality. We also compared the sex‐related hormone levels between 119 reproductive‐aged men with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and 273 age‐matched control men. A higher serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and a lower ratio of testosterone (T) to LH were observed in the COVID‐19 group. Multiple regression analysis indicated that serum T: LH ratio was negatively associated with white blood cell counts and C‐reactive protein levels in COVID‐19 patients. It's the first report about semen assessment and sex‐hormone evaluation in reproductive‐aged male COVID‐19 patients. Although further study is needed to clarify the reasons and underlying mechanisms, our study presents an abnormal sex hormone secretion among COVID‐19 patients, suggesting that attention should be paid to reproductive function evaluation in the follow‐up.