Case Series Biomedical Study to Detect the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Semen of Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19 Disease

In late December 2019, a new coronavirus strain emerged in China causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Since then, COVID19 has become a global pandemic outbreak being declared a "public health emergency of international concern" by the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the WHO on January 30, 2020. The pandemic concerns to public worldwide but also to couples aiming to conceive through natural means or undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Different organizations including the American Society of Reproductive Medicine have recommended a precautionary approach. Therefore, new cycles for infertility patients as well as non-medically urgent gamete preservation treatments, such as social egg freezing, have been suspended in many countries. The decision to resume the In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment make us to question if virus could be in gametes affecting couples and reproductive outcomes. The presence of the virus in sperm have contradictory results.

The present study aims to describe if there could be presence of virus in sperm samples of patients with positive diagnosis for COVID-19, and if so, if the virus turns negative on the sperm after the patient recovers and have a negative result for COVID-19. Also it aims to assess the presence of the virus in the seminal plasma and discern if it possible to disseminate it by sexual transmission.

An interim analysis is expected to be carried out once the 50% of the expected recruitment is achieved.