Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause erectile dysfunction or male impotence?
Fears that COVID-19 vaccine jabs could lead to erectile dysfunction and misconceptions that they contain contraceptives have led to low uptake of vaccines around the world.
Although vaccines do have negative effects, there has been a misconception about COVID-19 shots causing male infertility and sexual dysfunction.
For example, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV infections, for example, have all been associated to reduced fertility.
However, it is unknown whether a respiratory virus, such as the coronavirus, may have the same effect.
However, because the COVID virus targets receptors in both male and female reproductive organs, it’s possible that the virus could create fertility problems.
Despite the fact that this is one of the more frequently claimed grounds for vaccine apprehension – that COVID-19 immunizations may impact male fertility – there is no data to support this claim.
Fears that the COVID-19 vaccine will induce infertility are among the reasons given by people who refuse to get vaccinated.
Health experts and regulators have refuted the COVID-19 vaccine myth that it interferes with male sexual function and fertility.
While there is no proof that any of the COVID vaccines cause fertility difficulties, reproduction specialists stress that becoming very ill from the disease has the potential to do so, making vaccination all the more vital.
Instead, research has revealed that the virus that causes COVID-19 puts both illnesses at risk.
“There is evidence to suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to impact both male fertility, female fertility, and certainly the health of a pregnancy of someone infected,” said Dr. Jennifer Kawwass, a reproductive endocrinologist and associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
“And there is simultaneously no evidence that the vaccine has any negative impact on male or female fertility.”
Since the beginning of the epidemic, researchers have been researching the effects of COVID on the human reproductive system.
While there is no indication that COVID can be transferred sexually, research suggests that reproductive system cells could be potential targets for the virus since they contain some of the receptors that the coronavirus needs to enter cells.
The idea that a virus could cause infertility is not unprecedented. “We do have historic evidence that there are certain viruses that are more likely to impact either male or female fertility,” Kawwass said.
According to a recent review report published in the journal Reproductive Biology, moderate to severe COVID infections have been linked to lower sperm count, testicular inflammation, sperm duct inflammation, and testicular pain in males of reproductive age.
Although these effects are not considered prevalent COVID side effects, they are frequently connected with decreased fertility, leading experts to speculate that COVID may cause fertility concerns in men, necessitating further research in this area.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility, according to the International Federation of Fertility Societies, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the British Fertility Society, and the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists.
However, according to a meta-analysis published in March, there wasn’t enough time to assess the long-term effects of COVID-19 on sperm count and quality, but there is clear evidence of an effect on the testes and penile tissue, including inflammation and testicular discomfort in up to 19 percent of male patients.
While the effect of COVID-19 on sperm count is still unknown at this time, COVID vaccinations are highly unlikely to cause male infertility.
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