The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Semen Analysis Values in Active Duty Service Members

The COVID-19 outbreak increased concern regarding the effects of infection and the vaccines on the risk of reproductive function. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of COVID-19 virus infection on US active duty service members' semen analysis results.

This retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the Medial Assessment and Readiness System at Womack Army Medical Center. It included males on active duty for any duration from January 2011 through September 2022. These males were eligible with at least 2 semen analyses documented in laboratory reports, with those with history of COVID-19 infection having analyses before and after infection. Changes in 4 laboratory semen indices were compared: semen volume (mL), sperm count per mL, sperm motility percentage, and percentage of sperm with normal morphology.

The study population comprised 1,188 active duty males with at least 2 semen analyses. Cohorts were established based on COVID-19 diagnosis (n = 60) and no history of COVID-19 diagnosis (n = 1,128). There were no differences in before-and-after semen analysis values for semen volume (mL) (P = .875) and sperm count in millions per mL (P = .973). There was a 7.02% regression-adjusted reduction in the motile sperm percentage (95% confidence interval [95% CI] -12.38 to -1.652, P = .010) and a 6.03% reduction in the percentage of sperm with normal morphology associated with COVID-19 infection (95% CI -10.03 to -2.04, P = .003).

Our study detected a decrease in sperm motility and morphology in a cohort of active duty service members with a history of COVID-19 infection.