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COVID-19 Could Affect Male Fertility, New Research Suggests

mymedicplus — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:54:26 +0000

Source – https://www.insidehook.com/

Researchers discovered the virus in the testicles, which might be bad news for fertility down the line

Months into the pandemic, we’re still learning new, often bad and sometimes contradictory things about the coronavirus every day. Now, researchers have discovered that COVID-19 could impact male fertility, according to a new study by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

An evaluation of tissue from the autopsies of six men who died from COVID-19 revealed the virus was still present in the testicles, which researchers suggest means that COVID-19 could affect fertility.

“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, an associate professor and 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. The finding is novel, remarkable, and certainly worthy of further exploration.”

While it’s unclear how exactly COVID-19 might affect fertility, Ramasamy suggested effects of some kind are likely to become apparent in some male COVID-19 patients down the line.

“I’m fairly certain, just like mumps, about 20 to 30 percent of men are going to have some sort of affected fertility in their future,” said Ramasamy.

Based on the new research, Ramasamy also suggested men who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are experiencing testicular pain should be seen by a urologist.

“Testicular pain along with other symptoms could be a sign that COVID-19 has entered the testis,” said Ramasamy. “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.”

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Stress and a poor diet can impact male fertility

mymedicplus — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 06:24:16 +0000

Source – https://www.king5.com/

Male infertility is a common issue, but men are often less likely than women to seek treatment. Sponsored by EvergreenHealth.

Male infertility can be a difficult topic to discuss, but 1 in 7 couples experience issues getting pregnant. More than half of these cases are due to issues with male fertility.

“Infertility is a lot more common than people think because most people don’t really talk about it,” said Dr. Kevin Ostrowski, a board-certified urologist at EvergreenHealth Urology Care.

Dr. Ostrowski has special expertise in male infertility and says that men are often less likely to discuss fertility with friends or get the care they need.

“Men, a lot of times, from their high school physical until they get a colonoscopy, go into this dead zone of healthcare,” Dr. Ostrowski said. “They don’t really seek care. From a fertility standpoint, we see some of those men for lots of reasons.”

Infertility is defined as the inability to have children after a year of unprotected intercourse. For older couples or for those wanting to have multiple children, getting evaluated sooner can be beneficial.

Evaluations for men often consist of a discussion of medical history and a semen analysis. The analysis can provide a great deal of information about fertility potential. Male infertility usually occurs because of low sperm production, abnormal sperm function, or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm.

Lifestyle factors, like stress and unhealthy eating, can impact fertility. Injury, illness, and chronic conditions may also be the cause of infertility. A doctor can provide a potential diagnosis and treatment options.

“The evaluation and treatment for a lot of couples is not nearly as involved as they may think,” Dr. Ostrowski said.

Some common infertility treatments include hormone therapy, antibiotics to treat an underlying infection or surgery, especially after a previous vasectomy. While not all infertility is preventable, taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle may help improve fertility. Those steps include not using drugs or nicotine, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding exposure to pesticides and heavy metals.

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Assessing male fertility just became a lot easier

mymedicplus — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 06:27:08 +0000

Source: healtheuropa.eu

Research published in Analytical Chemistry, reveals how scientists have developed a quick and convenient way of assessing male fertility

Currently, male fertility tests include measuring the concentration and motility of spermatozoa. However, other characteristics of sperm, such as their ability to follow a chemical trail to the egg, can influence the likelihood of fertilization.

Now, researchers have devised a quick and convenient microfluidic chip to assess this chemotactic response of spermatozoa, which could help provide a more complete picture of a man’s fertility.

Progesterone can attract sperm

Sperm use chemotaxis, or movement toward increasing or decreasing concentrations of a substance, to guide their journey through the fallopian tube to the egg. Progesterone is present at high concentrations in the fluid that surrounds the egg, and previous studies have indicated that the hormone can attract and activate spermatozoa of some mammalian species.

Scientists have used microfluidic devices — plastic or hydrogel chips with tiny channels through which liquids flow in a highly controlled manner –to study sperm chemotaxis.

Existing devices have certain limitations

Loes Segerink, Johanna Berendsen and colleagues wanted to develop an improved, pump-free microfluidic device that could quickly identify small differences in the chemotactic behaviour of sperm. As the previous devices have had various limitations, such as the need for pumps to drive the flow of fluid, which could affect sperm motility.

A device the size of a postage stamp

Based on the existing devices, the team designed a microfluidic chip about the size of a postage stamp. The chip, which they made with an agarose/gelatine material, contained various channels and side chambers.

They created a concentration gradient of progesterone in the device from left to right and saw that more boar spermatozoa added to the device swam to the right-side chambers (high progesterone) than the left (low progesterone), which shows chemotactic movement.

The researchers explained that in addition to fertility testing, the device could be used to investigate other substances that could also contribute to sperm’s guidance mechanism.

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