Covid and sperm - should we wait?

[Joeysjourney]

Hi all, I am due to start a fresh icsi short protocol on 17 Feb and my partner tested positive with covid on sunday and is still +ve today. I am still negative. Even if I were to get it, I expect we will both be clear and negative by the time we get to treatment.

My question is around whether the covid infection may affect his sperm and make it suboptimal? We already battling with low fertilitisation and suspected dna fragmentation and I don't want to waste money and emotion on a new cycle if the sperm might suffer from this. He has mild symptoms and no fever. Should I put it off for 3 months?

I really don't want to as I'm sick of my life being paused. I've been taking all the supplements, acupuncture, no alco, no caffeine etc and i would just rather get this done now.

Ive asked my Dr for advice and am waiting to hear back.

Anyone experienced a covid infection in the months leading up the treatment and were you advised to wait?

Thank you lovely people. Sending you all the luck in the world xx

[FlatFooted]

I’d be inclined to wait 3 months. I’ve got good friends who got Covid just before a fresh ivf cycle and it did terrible damage to the husbands sperm, which did terrible damage to the fertilisation rate. They didn’t get a single embryo from that cycle.

I completely understand the horror at yet another delay in the process, but keep your eye on the prize. Give yourself the best chance of getting good embryos. X

[Joeysjourney in reply to FlatFooted]

Such a hard decision isn't it but that's interesting to hear about your friend. Was that their first round?

[FlatFooted in reply to Joeysjourney]

No, it was their second egg collection. They were lucky they had one frozen embryo from their first egg collection, so they adapted the cycle and did a fet, instead, and now have a bouncing baby girl.

[Llizzie]

Hi there, the evidence is merely anecdotal at present but our urologist (Jonathan Ramsey) suggests it could have an impact - this is from his website.

“Although it may take years to prove it, I think that there is gathering “experiential “ evidence (the scientists would call this anecdotal) that Covid-19 adversely affects male fertility.”

If you Google you will see there have been some small scale studies. It’s such a tough decision - wish you luck with it. xx

[Joeysjourney in reply to Llizzie]

Yes I've been reading a lot about it and it definitely needs more attention! Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Hopefully my consultant can give some good options

[Redsequin]

Hi Joey. Do you guys have any frozen? We had Covid over Christmas and are pushing on with our February cycle but mostly because we have frozen sperm so will likely use that.

[Joeysjourney in reply to Redsequin]

Hi there, no unfortunately we have no frozen as it was an NHS round and they didn't offer us that. So it's gonna be from scratch x

[Redsequin in reply to Joeysjourney]

Ah okay. But actually, I see you're doing ICSI, so maybe it doesn't matter? I hope your clinic has been able to give you good advice!

[Chiefy]

Hi, been through this last year.

Husband was ill with covid (Kent variant) in December 2020. I didn't test positive at all but he was quite poorly. Isolation finished on Christmas Eve and I began stims on 2nd Jan (short protocol) with EC and icsi on 14th Jan 2021. Our issue was male factor, both count and motility. Covid didn't affect the cycle at all and in fact his count had improved to bottom of average range due to various lifestyle changes he had made (mainly alcohol) although motility improved it was still below average.

We got 4 good grade blastocysts, with the best being our son born in October!!

It was our first round and we were so fed up of waiting it didn't even cross my mind to postpone (everything had already been cancelled and postponed due to covid). Like everything with this process it is all a gamble, you could postpone, but there could be something else come up next time.

If you are concerned could you ask the clinic for another sperm analysis before you start the cycle?

Wishing you all the best x

[Joeysjourney in reply to Chiefy]

Oh that's so interesting. Thanks for taking the time to reply! You read my mind, my plan is to ask for a semen analysis and see where we go from there xx

[Hidden]

My husband and I both had Covid in our second week of our cycle for egg collection. My husband was very poorly but the clinic were happy to go ahead once we were out of isolation. We found that it massively affected his sperm though, it was not viable for natural fertilisation so we decided to try ICSI rather than abandon. We had 8 fertilised and 4 make it to blastocyst. We were lucky as the ICSI was covered on our NHS treatment but if it hadn’t been and we had known in advance I think we would have waited.

[Joeysjourney in reply to Hidden]

That's really interesting. From what I've read it seems to affect motility and mobility and we're also doing icsi so like you, it might not make a massive difference?

[Hidden in reply to Joeysjourney]

I would say not, we ended up with more than average fertilised. We have never had any other cycles to compare it to but it really wasn’t the disaster we first thought it was when I came round from egg collection. Got my fingers crossed for you what ever you decide xx

[Ranchu90]

My advise is to not wait and waste your time, my doctor told me that it won't affect the outcome and what I shall say now, they were damn right. My husband was positive when I was downregulating and about to start stimulation. We went ahead and it was the best cycle ever out of 4 that we had in total. Now I am keeping in my arms my little twins from that cycle. Thanks lord we didn't cancel it, I am a living proof that won't affect (we have male factor infertility). Listen to your instincts. Take care 💕

[Joeysjourney in reply to Ranchu90]

Thanks so much for the pep talk. You're so right. I'm hoping a quick semen analysis will perhaps put my mind at rest? That's wonderful news about your twins, it just warms my heart! There's always an obstacle isn't there!

[Hidden]

Hello,

My IVF cycle has just been cancelled a few days prior egg collection, because I got Covid.

Doctors are happy for us to do it straight away, but I'm on long protocol which mean egg collection and fertilisation will happen around April. So in 2 months.

I would just do whatever doctors are advising - its not enough reaserch out there yet.

[Joeysjourney in reply to Hidden]

Totally agree, definitely not enough known! Sorry to hear about your cancelled cycle, its such a roller-coaster isn't it.