With the onset of 2020, the SARS-COV 2, the virus that causes COVID-19 created havoc on mankind. Not only did our daily lives get disrupted, but a multitude of lives also changed forever. While many lost their near and dear ones, several more suffered from the effect the SARS-COV 2 virus had on them.

While a lot of lives were lost in this pandemic, several more suffered immensely – physically, biologically, emotionally as well as psychologically. While the virus itself has caused havoc to the infected bodies, the psychological impact of the same cannot be ignored

The ongoing research has brought to light the effect both have had on the sperm count of the infected and successfully recovered men. University of Florence in Italy has researched the semen samples collected from 43 men in the age group of 30 to 64. The samples were collected after a month of their recovery from COVID-19. Surprisingly, it was found that 25% of the men had low sperm count, while 20% showed azoospermia, which is the total absence of sperm. This is an alarmingly high number compared to its prevalence in the world population under normal circumstances.

There are huge speculation and several more unanswered questions. The studies are not yet large enough to determine the actual cause of the decreased sperm count. While few studies directly link it to the virus, several others link it to the intense treatment that the patients had to undergo to fight the virus.

The studies are also not very clear if this effect is a short-term condition or a prolonged condition that might affect fertility levels. Also, as of now, there is very less study conducted to determine the quality of the sperm and its chances of affecting future generations genetically.

While the researchers are doing their best to determine these, the fight against COVID-19 continues at an enormous scale.