Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35811778›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of general medicine2022

Causes and Risk Factors for Male Infertility: A Scoping Review of Published Studies.

Friday Ebhodaghe Okonofua, Lorretta Favour Chizomam Ntoimo, Akhere Omonkhua, Oladiran Ayodeji, Celestina Olafusi, Emmanuel Unuabonah, Victor Ohenhen

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of general medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Association Between Leukocytospermia and Varicocele in Patients With Infertility.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Indirubin-3'-oxime as a dual-action agent: mitigating heat-induced male infertility inJournal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  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

7 authors.

Friday Ebhodaghe OkonofuaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Benin, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.
Lorretta Favour Chizomam NtoimoWomen's Health and Action Research Centre, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Akhere OmonkhuaCenter of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation, University of Benin, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.ORCID 0000-0002-0905-0181
Oladiran AyodejiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Celestina OlafusiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Emmanuel UnuabonahDepartment of Chemistry, Redeemer University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.
Victor OhenhenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Central Hospital, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.ORCID 0000-0001-6311-7239

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Despite the evidence of declining sperm counts worldwide and the increasing prevalence of male infertility, there has been limited documentation of the potential causes and risk factors for male infertility. With limited methods of primary treatment of male infertility, understanding the causes and risk factors will pinpoint specific lines of prevention. Objective: We reviewed published studies on causes and risk factors for male infertility and identify gaps in the literature enabling more focused research and innovations. Design/Setting: The study was a scoping review. The review included studies on the causes and risk factors of male infertility published in scientific/academic publications. It was not limited to any region or date. The following databases were searched: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Wiley online, HINARI, Science Direct, PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and the WHO Repository. In total, 1295 articles were identified. After removing 357 duplicates, 938 articles were screened, and 71 articles were identified for inclusion, while 60 articles met the inclusion criteria. Results: Four broad causes and risk factors of male infertility identified were 1) biological/physiological/genetic causes, 2) behavioral/lifestyle risk factors, 3) environmental factors, and 4) socio-demographic risk factors. However, no substantive results on actual causes under each category were identified, leaving gaps for further research and experimentation. Conclusion: The results indicate limited knowledge of the actual causes of male infertility in published studies. The gaps in knowledge that need to be bridged to enable a fuller understanding of the actual causes of male infertility were highlighted.

Indexed as

causesmale infertilityrisk factorsscoping reviewspermatozoa defects

Identifiers

PMID35811778
PMCPMC9268217

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.