SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2018
Application of seminal plasma to female genital tract prior to embryo transfer in assisted reproductive technology cycles (IVF, ICSI and frozen embryo transfer).
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04880590 (Sex or no Sex), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Sex or no Sex: That is the Question. Impact of Coital Sexual Intercourse on the Clinical Pregnancy Rate After Embryo Transfer.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assisted reproductive technology: an overview of Cochrane Reviews.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Male Stress Is Associated with Ovarian and Endometrial Responses in ICSI Cycles: Is Seminal Plasma the Linchpin?International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Seminal plasma exosome derived miR-26-5p can regulate decidual macrophage polarization via PTEN / PI3K / AKT signaling pathway.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Seminal Fluid Interaction with Female Reproductive Tract Epithelial Cells: In Vitro Models for Human.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Good practice recommendations on add-ons in reproductive medicine†.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Immune regulatory cytokines in seminal plasma of healthy men: A scoping review and analysis of variance.Andrology · 2023Article
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Results Using Donor or Partner Sperm: A Danish Nationwide Register-Based Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Investigation of Sperm and Seminal Plasma Candidate MicroRNAs of Bulls with Differing Fertility and In Silico Prediction of miRNA-mRNA Interaction Network of Reproductive Function.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Antioxidants Present in Reproductive Tract Fluids and Their Relevance for Fertility.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Seminal Plasma: Relevant for Fertility?International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Immunoendocrine Markers of Stress in Seminal Plasma at IVF/ICSI Failure: a Preliminary Study.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2021Article
- Endometrial Immune Dysfunction in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe female genital tract is not exposed to seminal plasma during standard assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. However, it is thought that the inflammatory reaction triggered by seminal plasma may be beneficial by inducing maternal tolerance to paternal antigens expressed by the products of conception, and may increase the chance of successful implantation and live birth.
objectivesTo assess the effectiveness and safety of application of seminal plasma to the female genital tract prior to embryo transfer in ART cycles. SEARCH
methodsWe searched the following databases from inception to October 2017: Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group Specialised Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Central Register of Studies Online (CRSO), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO. We also searched trial registers for ongoing trials, including International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov. Other sources searched were; Web of Knowledge, OpenGrey, LILACS, PubMed, Google Scholar and the reference lists of relevant articles. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted among women undergoing ART, comparing any procedure that would expose the female genital tract to seminal plasma during the period starting five days before embryo transfer and ending two days after it versus no seminal plasma application. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. We pooled data to calculate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed statistical heterogeneity using the I MAIN
resultsWe included 11 RCTs (3215 women). The quality of the evidence ranged from very low to low. The main limitations were risk of bias (associated with poor reporting of allocation concealment and other methods) and imprecision for the primary outcome of live birth rate.Live birth rates: There was insufficient evidence to determine whether there was a difference between the groups with respect to live birth rates (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.43; participants = 948; studies = 3; I
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.