Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32814369›Full record

ArticleThe world journal of men's health2020

Male Fertility and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of the Literature.

Mohammad Ali Khalili, Kristian Leisegang, Ahmad Majzoub, Renata Finelli, Manesh Kumar Panner Selvam, Ralf Henkel, Moshrefi Mojgan, Ashok Agarwal

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The world journal of men's health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05421234 (Effect of COVID-19 on Spermiogram, Platelet Mitochondrial Bioenergetic, Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Infertile Men), which is not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
9.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT05421234 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Effect of COVID-19 on Spermiogram, Platelet Mitochondrial Bioenergetic, Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Infertile Men

TypeinterventionalSponsorComenius UniversityRan2022 to 2023Enrolled45ConditionsInfertility, Male, COVID-19Armsdiagnostic test and sperm analysis
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 116 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 5 countries.

Mohammad Ali KhaliliResearch and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9940-749X
Kristian LeisegangSchool of Natural Medicine, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3003-8048
Ahmad MajzoubDepartment of Urology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7423-6241
Renata FinelliAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5926-6407
Manesh Kumar Panner SelvamAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9120-2278
Ralf HenkelDepartment of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1128-2982
Moshrefi MojganResearch and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6306-7881
Ashok AgarwalAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. agarwaa@ccf.org.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0585-1026
Cleveland Clinic · USShahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services · IRImperial College London · GBUniversity of the Western Cape · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSince its discovery in December 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread globally, causing the current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) pandemic. As there is an increase of infections in the male population, concerns have emerged about the potential impact of COVID-19 on male reproductive organs and male fertility. Therefore, this study systematically investigates the current evidence of SARS-CoV-2 impact on male reproduction and pregnancy outcomes, discussing them in light of the evidence published on other coronaviruses. MATERIALS AND

methodsLiterature search was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 24 original articles were included for the analysis, investigating the effects of the infection on semen parameters, male reproductive hormones, and pregnancy outcomes. Further, a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted based on the available evidence linking the virus with male reproduction and conception.

resultsAlthough there is limited data, viral mRNA has been identified in semen of infected men, with some evidence of altered seminal parameters. Low testosterone and dihydrotestosterone with raised luteinizing hormone has been reported as well as preterm delivery in pregnant women; however, data regarding vertical transmission remains contradictory and inconclusive.

conclusionsThe recent literature provides evidence that male gonads may be potentially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, recommending caution to pregnant women and couples planning natural pregnancy or assisted reproduction.

Indexed as

COVID-19Infertility, malePregnancySemenSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Identifiers

PMID32814369
PMCPMC7502312
OpenAlexW3050516004

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

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.