ArticleArab journal of urology2021
Vitamins as primary or adjunctive treatment in infertile men with varicocele: A systematic review.
Article in Arab journal of urology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of retinoic acid in the journey of spermatogonium to spermatozoa: From basic to clinical application.F1000Research · 2022Pooled it
- Advances in immune-inflammatory interactions within the testicular-penile microenvironment of varicocele patients: molecular mechanisms underlying erectile dysfunction and spermatogenic impairment.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- COVID-19 and Male Infertility: Is There a Role for Antioxidants?Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- The Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Oxidative Stress in Varicocele-Mediated Male Hypofertility.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Redox Balance in Male Infertility: Excellence through Moderation-"Μέτρον ἄριστον".Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the usage and the efficacy of vitamins as primary or adjuvant treatment in infertile men with varicocele.
methodsA systematic search in PubMed, the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Cochrane Library with the terms (varicocele) AND (vitamins) was performed. We searched for studies: a) reporting the administration of vitamins (individually or as part of a complex) in men with varicocele and infertility, b) primarily or adjuvant to invasive treatment, and c) reporting the impact on semen parameters and/or pregnancy rates. Exclusion criteria were animal, adolescent and non-English studies, grey literature and trials reporting abstracts only.
resultsSeven studies were identified eligible for qualitative analysis. All studies were randomised except one (case series). Vitamins were administered dominantly as part of antioxidant complex and only two studies used vitamins (C and E, respectively) as sole agent. In two studies, vitamin monotherapy resulted in improvement in semen quality, but the effect on pregnancy rates is unknown. One study reported no efficacy of adjuvant multivitamin treatment after embolisation in terms of both semen quality and pregnancy rates. Finally, four studies reported a positive effect of vitamins on semen parameters after varicocelectomy, but the effect on pregnancy rates is conflicting; one study reported improved pregnancy rates with adjuvant treatment, two studies did not evaluate the pregnancy rates, and in one study the outcome was unclear due to missing data.
conclusionsVitamins have been used mostly as part of an antioxidant panel for the management of infertile men with varicocele. Most studies have found a positive impact on semen parameters in selected men with varicocele and infertility, as primary or adjuvant treatment. However, the clinical benefit of vitamins administration on pregnancy rate is under-evaluated and should be the target of future research.
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