Dear Editor,
We would like to share ideas on the recent article by Meitei et al. (2022) published in this journal. The authors reported that the baseline sperm parameters of 20 (38%) of their patients were below the WHO standard range; nevertheless, no significant reduction in ejaculate quality was found in their follow-up samples. Meitei et al. (2022) also found that no ejaculates in either study group were azoospermic during the follow-up evaluation. The findings in this report confirm that the Covishield™ vaccine has no negative effects on male fertility (Meitei et al. 2022). We are all concerned that, despite its benefits, COVID-19 immunization could be harmful. It is difficult to determine the exact clinical link because there is minimal information on the health and andrological status of vaccine recipients prior to inoculation.
Generally, patient comorbidity may be the basis of the clinical problem observed after getting immunization (Kebayoon & Wiwanitkit 2021). Co-infections that may occur in vaccine recipients after receiving a dose are examples of vaccine side effects (Kebayoon & Wiwanitkit 2021). Dengue infection, for example, is supposedly clinically associated with reversible abnormalities in sperm quality during the post-COVID-19 immunization period (Mons et al. 2022). There is not much evidence yet on the effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 vaccines on sperm quality. The limitations of the existing studies, such as their small sample sizes and short follow-up periods, as well as any fever or other side effects or circumstances that may have affected the quality of the sperm in addition to the vaccination itself, should be highlighted and discussed. Making an informed decision about the vaccine's impact on health issues necessitates proper knowledge. A sample of people with known pre-vaccination andrological backgrounds, reproductive statuses, and medical difficulties could provide more conclusive evidence of the vaccine's impact on the clinical state. Based on the results of the current study, it may be clearer than before that COVID-19 vaccination effects on semen should be of concern, and further research is needed to clarify this. Conclusive research may not be provided by a straightforward retrospective study without control of confounding background elements. Further research is required on vaccine recipients with established background health issues, particularly for semen characteristics, in order to reach a more certain conclusion.
Declaration of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.
Funding
This work did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector.
Author contribution statement
RM: 50% ideas, writing, analyzing, approval for final submission; VW: 50% ideas, supervising, approval for final submission.
References
Kebayoon A & Wiwanitkit V 2021 Dengue after COVID-19 vaccination: possible and might be missed. Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis 27 10760296211047229. (https://doi.org/10.1177/10760296211047229)
Meitei HY, Uppangala S, Lakshmi V, Kalthur G & Adiga SK 2022 Semen characteristics of individuals before and after CovishieldTM vaccination. Reproduction and Fertility RAF-22–RAF-0046. (https://doi.org/10.1530/RAF-22-0046)
Mons J, Mahé-Poiron D, Mansuy JM, Lheureux H, Nigon D, Moinard N, Hamdi S, Pasquier C, Dejucq-Rainsford N & Bujan L 2022 Effects of acute dengue infection on sperm and virus clearance in body fluids of men. Emerging Infectious Diseases 28 1146–1153. (https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2806.212317)
