Your cough and runny nose might have cleared up after a few days — but COVID’s hidden effects on your sperm could still influence your unborn children.
Earlier research published this year linked COVID-19 infections to poorer sperm quality, including a lower sperm count, reduced motility, and a smaller percentage of “grade A sperms.”
Now, a new study released this month reveals something even more concerning: even if men recover from those fertility issues, the genetic material affected by the coronavirus could still pass problems on to their offspring.
Researchers in Australia infected male mice with the virus that causes COVID-19 and allowed them to mate with healthy females. The resulting offspring showed higher levels of anxiety.
“We found that the resulting offspring showed more anxious behaviors compared to offspring from uninfected fathers,” explained lead study author Elizabeth Kleeman.
Published in Nature Communications, this groundbreaking research marks the first study to investigate the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the health and development of subsequent generations.
The scientists discovered that the virus altered RNA molecules in sperm — molecules “involved in the regulation of genes that are known to be important in brain development.”
All offspring from COVID-infected fathers displayed these effects, but the changes were particularly pronounced in females, who showed “significant changes” in the hippocampus — the brain region responsible for memory, learning, and emotional regulation.
According to co-senior author Carolina Gubert, these changes “may contribute to the increased anxiety we observed in offspring, via epigenetic inheritance and altered brain development.”
The research team believes their findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic could have lasting repercussions for future generations. However, they also emphasized the need for further studies to determine whether similar effects occur in humans.
“If our findings translate to humans, this could impact millions of children worldwide, and their families, with major implications for public health,” said lead researcher Anthony Hannan.
In the broader context of mental health after COVID, studies indicate that roughly 50% of adults aged 18 to 24 experience anxiety — marked by excessive worry, fear, and nervousness that interfere with everyday life.
While COVID has taken a severe toll on mental health, it has also been especially damaging to children’s development. Since the pandemic, student test scores have steadily declined, particularly among those affected by lockdowns, and gaps between socioeconomic groups have continued to widen.
From 2022 to 2024, reading scores dropped to their lowest point since the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) began testing in 1992.
The NAEP exams — administered every two years to a large sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students nationwide — found that a full third of children were unable to demonstrate the “basic” reading skills expected for their age.
Only top-performing students appear to be recovering the academic ground lost during COVID lockdowns, while the “achievement gap” separating them from lower-performing peers continues to grow.
Source: nypost.com