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Posted on: 26/06/2020 13:25
The presence of coronavirus in seminal fluid, found in 15% of patients with Covid-19 infection, pcan cause changes in sperm production and endocrine testicular function. It can also cause inflammation on a vascular basis that causes the same symptoms as orchitis: pain, conspicuous swelling of the testicle and redness of the scrotum. IS, in the long term, it can create the conditions for hypogonadism. However, the hypothesis that the virus in the seminal fluid could also play a role in the transmission of the disease still requires scientific validation. If you have been infected, however, to resume sexual activity you must wait for two consecutive negative swabs. This was reported by the Italian Urology Society, which is carrying out a multicenter study for the evaluation of hormonal changes and spermatogenesis in patients with Covid-19.
Preliminary data seem to confirm a hormonal alteration, in particular with a significant increase in the concentration of prolactin in the blood during the disease, also with an impact on sexual desire, mediated by the stress of the condition of patient with coronavirus.
“In this preliminary phase, the presence of coronavirus in seminal fluid is one of the great questions to be addressed – explains Roberto Scarpa, president of Siu and director of the Urology complex operational unit of the Biomedical Campus of Rome – Some studies would suggest a possible involvement of the testicle during the infection, probably mediated by local or systemic inflammation that could allow a high viral load to overcome the blood-testicular barrier. To date there are still few investigations conducted and few samples of patients involved, to ascertain the presence of the virus in the seminal fluid “.
“Even the results obtained so far are conflicting. The data currently available do not therefore have an objective scientific validity. However, as with all the post-Covid consequences in general, they must be considered as a starting point pending wider studies and that are already underway, “says Scarpa.
There are two mechanisms by which the virus can cause testicular damage: “In the testicular cells there is a receptor, called Ace2, which favors the binding with the virus, with a possible cascade effect of inflaming the epididymis and the testicle – explains Rocco Damiano of the Siu Resources and Communication Office, professor of Urology and director of the School of Specialization of Urology at the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro – Secondly, the coagulation anomalies typical of patients with Covid-19 can trigger a vascular inflammation “. These two conditions “lead to long-term damage to the testicle, altering testosterone production and affecting sperm formation. There appears to be no direct effect of the Cov-2 virus, but always mediated by inflammation.” According to urologists, it is very important to monitor testicular function in positive patients, to identify any anomalies that may compromise fertility in the long term.
But the disease can also affect the reproductive process through the prostate. As Walter Artibani, general secretary of Siu also explains, “there is no physio-pathological mechanism linking Covid-19 to erectile dysfunction, for example, which depends rather on different hormonal factors”.
Finally “once cured of the disease, in the absence of certain data on the risk of contagion, wait until the control buffer has tested negative twice in succession“to resume sexual activity, Damiano reiterates.” And to keep in mind that, at the moment, there is no report on the transmission of the virus from sperm to oocytes, no sexual transmission has been reported and therefore the infection cannot today be classified as sexually transmitted. However, the virus is effectively transmitted through kisses, however common practice during sexual intercourse “.
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