Ivermectin Is Not Proven To Cause Male Sterility
The Claim
Ivermectin sterilizes 85% of the men who take it.
News posted on
Emerging story
A meme has been circulating across social media which pairs various photos with the statement, “When you find out Ivermectin sterilizes the majority (85%) of the men who take it.”
The claim follows a surge in the use of the anti-parasitic drug as a treatment for COVID-19, despite medical expert advice.
Misbar’s Analysis
Ivermectin has not been proven to cause male sterility. The FDA lists side effects from Ivermectin as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension, itching, dizziness, seizures, and coma. Recent deaths have also been reported after patients took the drug to treat COVID-19.
The claim originated from a 2011 Nigerian study that was recently unearthed by Nevada local news station KTSM, and the station issued a correction soon after they published the story. The study sought to investigate sperm functions after administering the drug. It started with 385 subjects, but only 37 were ultimately eligible. A sample size of 37 subjects is too low for a study to arrive at conclusive results. In addition, the 85% findings are a reference to another unnamed study, but not a conclusion from the study itself.
One widely published study from 2008 showed that Ivermectin has slight effects on male fertility among rats. A 1991 study on cattle showed no decipherable impact on the animal’s reproductive rates.
