Table 2.
Semen characteristics and sex hormones of the 22 patients at different time points after recovery from coronavirus disease 2019
| Parameter | Reference values | First sampling | Second sampling | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days after the appearance of symptomsa, median (IQR) | NA | 75.0 (71.0–76.0) | 106.0 (101.8–126.8) | <0.0001**** |
| Days after hospital dischargea, median (IQR) | NA | 52.5 (46.8–56.0) | 84.0 (74.0–89.0) | <0.0001**** |
| Semen analysesb | ||||
| Sexual abstinence (day), median (IQR) | 2–7 | 3.0 (2.3–4.0) | 3.0 (3.0–5.0) | 0.2813 |
| Semen volume (ml), median (IQR) | ≥1.5 | 3.0 (2.3–3.6) | 3.3 (2.7–3.7) | 0.0649 |
| Sperm concentration (×106 ml−1), median (IQR) | ≥15.0 | 39.2 (26.6–70.0) | 59.0 (45.7–112.5) | 0.0066** |
| Total sperm count (millions per ejaculate), median (IQR) | ≥39.0 | 100.9 (57.0–207.2) | 169.4 (146.7–332.6) | 0.0029** |
| Abnormal sperm morphology (%), median (IQR) | ≤96.0 | 94.5 (91.5–97.0) | 92.5 (90.3–95.8) | 0.0333* |
| Progressive sperm motility (%), median (IQR) | ≥32.0 | 35.1 (20.4–42.0) | 37.0 (29.4–50.1) | 0.5661 |
| Sperm motility (%), median (IQR) | ≥40.0 | 39.8 (27.0–50.5) | 42.2 (34.7–54.1) | 0.6237 |
| Progressively motile sperm count (millions per ejaculate), median (IQR) | NA | 42.9 (8.5–87.5) | 70.0 (41.6–147.5) | 0.0587 |
| Motile sperm count (millions per ejaculate), median (IQR) | NA | 50.1 (11.3–111.8) | 83.4 (49.1–165.1) | 0.0391* |
| Sperm vitality (%), median (IQR) | ≥58.0 | 81.0 (60.5–86.5) | 81.5 (69.8–90.0) | 0.5920 |
| Estradiolc (pg ml−1), median (IQR) | 20.0–55.0 | 28.5 (15.0–38.8) | 23.0 (17.3–40.8) | 0.9178 |
| FSH (U l−1), median (IQR) | 1.5–12.4 | 5.1 (3.9–6.0) | 4.6 (3.4–5.8) | 0.4546 |
| LH (U l−1), median (IQR) | 1.2–8.6 | 3.6 (3.1–4.4) | 3.8 (3.1–4.5) | 0.8862 |
| Progesterone (µg dl−1), median (IQR) | 1.3–9.7 | 5.7 (2.5–8.1) | 4.9 (2.7–6.9) | 0.7979 |
| Testosterone (ng ml−1), median (IQR) | 1.8–7.9 | 3.5 (2.9–4.0) | 3.15 (2.6–4.8) | 0.6175 |
| Prolactin (ng ml−1), median (IQR) | 2.6–18.1 | 16.1 (10.7–25.9) | 15.8 (9.8–20.0) | 0.5546 |
| AMH (ng ml−1), median (IQR) | 0.7–19.0 | 9.6 (5.4–12.7) | 9.9 (5.7–14.1) | 0.7683 |
| Inhibin B (pg ml−1), median (IQR) | 87.4–299.9 | 102.5 (74.0–126.5) | 122.0 (77.3–141.0) | 0.3191 |
aWhen semen analyses were performed. bReference values were suggested by WHO. cReference values were suggested by clinical laboratory. NA: not applicable; FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone; LH: luteinizing hormone; AMH: anti-Müllerian hormone; IQR: interquartile range; WHO: World Health Organization; *P<0.05; **P<0.01; ****P<0.0001