Introduction:

Twenty-seven viruses have so far been found which may cause viremia in human semen. In many of them, more data are required about sexual transmission and its impact on male fertility, pointing to knowledge gaps about the persistence of the virus in genital fluids, particularly in semen.

Objective:

Carry out a bibliographic review about the potential of the novel coronavirus to persist in semen, affecting male reproductive cells and hence their fertility.

Methods:

A bibliographic search was conducted in the database PubMed using the search terms "virus and fertility", "coronavirus and semen", "coronavirus and testis" and "coronavirus and angiotensin". A total 30 original papers were consulted, of which 24 were from the last five years.

Conclusions:

Emergence of the novel coronavirus poses the question of its existence in semen and its capacity to affect reproduction. Presence of the virus in semen may be more common than what is currently understood as reproductive damage potential, and it should not be supposed that traditional non-sexually transmitted viruses are totally absent from genital secretions. Studies about virus detection and semen persistence are useful to medical practice and public health, as well as in relation to their impact on fetal development, as is the case with SARS-CoV-2.

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