Men Are Freezing Their Sperm Fearing COVID-19 Causes Infertility

Survival instinct and existential anxieties have men left and right panic-buying at-home collection kits to freeze their sperm amid fears COVID-19 will leave them unable to have kids – despite no evidence the virus harms fertility. 

The market of companies sending men preservable sample collection kits and return postage, run lab tests on returned cups, and promise to cryogenically store viable seed have always been steady business. However, shockingly, amid COVID-19, the business is booming more than ever. 

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Sperm-business is booming

Apparently, one at-home sperm collection firm CryoChoice has seen sales jump by as much as 20 percent in recent weeks, Daily Beast reports. Another at-home sperm collection start-up Legacy’s staff claim they’ve seen up to 10 times their usual order volume in recent days.

Other companies have reported exponential increases of men collecting their own sperm and shipping it back to clinics for cryogenic preservation – moreover, they’re stocking up on long-term storage space too.

COVID-19 doesn't cause infertility

While there’s no evidence to suggest COVID-19 affects fertility, American men are still adamant about bombarding sperm banks with mail-in collection services to save their seeds. It is too soon to know whether the virus can harm sperm, and it should be noted that there isn’t evidence that the virus seeks out and attacks sperm so far. 

However, fever slows sperms down

However, one of its primary symptoms – fever – might damage semen since sperm thrive at the resting body temperature of 98.6°F. Even minor temperature changes can affect sperm production and how well they can move since they are delicate in form.

But this is short term disruption. This graph from a study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility shows the short-lived effects of fever on sperm.

Therefore, it can be said that, generally, most viral illnesses such as flu and COVID-19 don’t lead to infertility; so, there is no reason for men to worry about aiming at the cup yet.

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