Table 1.
Effects of different types of COVID-19 vaccine on male semen.
| References | Study design | Vaccine type | Sample size | History of SARS CoV-2 infection | Semen testing time after vaccination | Control | Main outcomes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [49] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 75 fertile men | No | Average 37 days (1–2 months) after the second dose | The WHO reference ranges | No significant differences |
| 2 | [69] | Retrospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 72 IVF patients | No | Average 71 days (40.5-104.8 days) after the first dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 3 | [64] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 47 hospital staffs | No | 3 months after the first dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 4 | [43] | Retrospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 58 IVF patients | No | 6–14 months after the first dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 5 | [8] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 33 donors at the sperm bank | Unknown | At least 72 days after the second dose | Self-control | Total sperm count and total motile count increased after the vaccination. Percent of motile sperm did not change. |
| 6 | [31] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 45 healthy volunteers | No | A median of 75 days after the second dose | Self-control | The median sperm concentration, total motile sperm count, semen volume and sperm motility significantly increased |
| 7 | [2] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 60 IVF patients | Unknown | At least 90 days after the second dose | Self-control | No differences in semen volume, sperm concentration, and morphology. Progressive motility significantly increased. |
| 8 | [20] | Prospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 12 healthy volunteers | No | 3 months (T1), at least 9 months (T2) after the second dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 9 | [30] | Retrospective cohort study | mRNA vaccine | 37 donors at the sperm bank | No | 15–45 days (T1), 75–125 days (T2) and at least 145 days (T3) after second dose | Self-control | Temporary sperm concentration and total motile count deterioration 3 months after vaccination followed by later recovery |
| 10 | [24] | Retrospective cohort study | Inactivated vaccine | 519 fertile men | No | ≤ 90 days (T1), >90 days (T2) after the first dose | Unvaccinated group | Most of the semen parameters remained unchanged; T1 group have decreased total sperm motility |
| 11 | [86] | Retrospective cohort study | Inactivated vaccine | 260 IVF patients | No | Average 80.6 days after the first dose | Unvaccinated group | No significant differences |
| 12 | [91] | Retrospective cohort study | Inactivated vaccine | 43 donors at the sperm bank | No | Within 21 days(T1), 60 days (T2) after the first dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 13 | [83] | Prospective cohort study | Inactivated vaccine | 1219 IVF patients | No | A median of 71 days after the second dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 14 | [88] | Retrospective cohort study | Inactivated vaccine | 128 men | Unknown | Average 87.5 days after the second dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 15 | [56] | Prospective cohort study | 76% mRNA vaccines, 20% viral vector vaccine, 2% a mixed vaccine, 2% unknown | 101 men | Unknown | 2.3 ± 1.5 months after the second dose | Self-control | Semen volume significantly decreased. Sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total motile sperm count significantly increased |
| 16 | [6] | Prospective cohort study | 44% mRNA vaccine, 32% viral vector vaccine, 24% mixed vaccine | 100 volunteers | No | 1 month after the second dose | Self-control | Progressive sperm motility increased significantly |
| 17 | [68] | Retrospective cohort study | 87.7% mRNA vaccine, 10.4% viral vector vaccine, 1.9% mixed vaccine | 106 IVF/IUI patients | No | 59 days after the second dose | Self-control | No significant differences |
| 18 | [46] | Retrospective cohort study | 33.3% mRNA vaccine, 33.3% inactivated vaccine, 33.3% viral vector vaccine | 70 infertile men | No | Unknown | Unvaccinated group | The viral vector vaccine caused a decrease in morphology as well as an increase in DNA fragmentation index |
| 19 | [57] | Retrospective cohort study | Viral vector vaccine | 53 infertility patients | No | 82 days after the second dose | Self-control | No significant changes in semen parameters, except for a moderate decline in sperm morphology |
IVF, in vitro fertilization; IUI, Intrauterine insemination.