ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2021
The Sixth Edition of the WHO Manual for Human Semen Analysis: A Critical Review and SWOT Analysis.
Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05701332 (Effect of Intravesical B.C.G and Gemcitabine on Semen Quality and Testicular Volume in Patients With Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 146 papers, 4 of them syntheses 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.
Effect of Intravesical B.C.G and Gemcitabine on Semen Quality and Testicular Volume in Patients With Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients
Who cites it
146 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effect of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy on Male Sexual Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Boosting Male Fertility: The Impact of Gonadotropin Therapy on Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Andrology · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of astaxanthin efficacy in male infertility: evidence from clinical and preclinical studies.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of long and short ejaculatory abstinence on sperm parameters: a meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- Towards Better Assisted Reproductive Techniques Outcomes: Using Platelet-Rich Plasma to Improve Sperm Motility.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2025Trial
- Direct and Gradual Electrical Testicular Shocks Stimulate Spermatogenesis and Activate Sperms in Infertile Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial.American journal of men's healthTrial
- Clinical Recommendations for the Management of Male Infertility: A Consensus from the Korean Society for Sexual Medicine and Andrology (KSSMA) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee.The world journal of men's health · 2026Review
- A decade of semen quality trends in Libya: nonlinear temporal patterns, age effects, and WHO 2010-2021 reclassification.Reproduction & fertility · 2026Article
- Amphora Coffeaeformis Extract as a Novel Therapeutic Agent against Gamma Radiation-Induced Infertility in Male Rats.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Article
- A Scoping Review of Male Fertility Assessment and Treatment Across Historical and Contemporary Paradigms.Andrology · 2026Article
- Critical Windows of Air Pollution Exposure During Spermatogenesis and Intrauterine Insemination Outcomes.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2026Article
- Association between body mass index and semen quality in infertile men: a cross-sectional study of 28 167 patients.Asian journal of andrology · 2026Article
- Industrial Hydrocarbons Exposure Deteriorates Sperm Integrity and Reproductive Function.Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology · 2026Article
- Localized Depletion of Seminal HDL-C Despite Preserved Systemic Lipid Profiles in Men with Impaired Semen Parameters: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- Chronic stress drives oligoasthenozoospermia via gut microbiota-vitamin-Sting1/Slc9c2 axis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Integrating Sperm Microscopy, Environmental Exposures, and Lifestyle Factors for Male Fertility Analysis: Protocol for the Nippon Semen and Environmental Exposure Database (N-SEED) Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Observations of high variability in DNA fragmentation of epididymal sperm in men.The Canadian journal of urology · 2026Article
- Analysis of adult men's knowledge in the area of male fertility in relation to selected lifestyle factors.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Epidemiology, Etiopathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Male Infertility-Current Trends and Future Directions: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Varicocelectomy versus antioxidants in infertile men with isolated teratozoospermia: A randomized controlled trial.Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine · 2026Article
86 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Semen analysis is the cornerstone of male fertility evaluation with WHO guidelines providing the basis for procedural standardization and reference values worldwide. The first WHO manual was published in 1980, and five editions have been subsequently released over the last four decades. The 6th Edition was published in July 2021. In this review, we identify the key changes of this 6th Edition. Additionally, we evaluate the utility of this 6th Edition in clinical practice using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. This new Edition has made the analysis of basic semen parameters more robust, taking into account the criticisms and grey areas of the previous editions. The tests assessing sperm DNA fragmentation and seminal oxidative stress are well-described. The main novelty is that this latest edition abandons the notion of reference thresholds, suggesting instead to replace them with "decision limits". While this seems attractive, no decision limits are proposed for either basic semen parameters, or for extended or advanced parameters. This critical review of the 6th Edition of the WHO laboratory manual combined with a SWOT analysis summarizes the changes and novelties present in this new Edition and provides an in-depth analysis that could help its global use in the coming years.
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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.