Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38164031›Full record

ArticleThe world journal of men's health2024

Effects of Physical Activity on Fertility Parameters: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Arturo Lo Giudice, Maria Giovanna Asmundo, Sebastiano Cimino, Giuseppe Morgia, Andrea Cocci, Marco Falcone, Ioannis Sokolakis, Paolo Capogrosso, Afonso Morgado, Giorgio Ivan Russo and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The world journal of men's health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Review
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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

11 authors.

Arturo Lo GiudiceDepartment of Surgery, Urology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1987-929X
Maria Giovanna AsmundoDepartment of Surgery, Urology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8248-6857
Sebastiano CiminoDepartment of Surgery, Urology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6045-3373
Giuseppe MorgiaDepartment of Surgery, Urology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7224-7577
Andrea CocciDepartment of Urology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0138-6294
Marco FalconeUrology Section, University of Turin, Molinette Hospital, Turin, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1101-892X
Ioannis SokolakisDepartment of Urology, Martha-Maria Hospital Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1938-8004
Paolo CapogrossoDepartment of Urology, University of Insubria, Insubria, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2347-9504
Afonso MorgadoDepartment of Urology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9647-4360
Giorgio Ivan RussoDepartment of Surgery, Urology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. giorgioivan.russo@unict.it.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4687-7353
EAU-YAU Sexual and Reproductive Health Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAugmented adiposity may negatively impact sexual sphere through its metabolic effects and its detrimental impact on reproductive hormones. Moreover, a dysregulated metabolic pathway may promote apoptosis among spermatogenic cells. Based on these premises, a relation between weights loss and ameliorate semen parameters seems beneficial. To investigate if physical activity may affect semen parameters and fertility rate, a systematic literature search on major dataset has been performed. MATERIALS AND

methodsThe search terms included: "Assisted reproduction therapies," "fertility," "semen parameters," "sperm parameters," and "physical activity." This analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines and it was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023384471). A total of 47 studies have been identified; 1 reference has been eliminated after duplication check. After preliminary screening 32 papers have been excluded. Considering the exclusion criteria, 15 full-text articles were evaluated for eligibility. After a full-text review, six studies published during a span of eight years (2014-2022) have been included in the meta-analysis. Semen parameters, pregnancy and birth rates were investigated. The revised Cochrane risk of bias tool (Rob2) has been used to check the risk of bias.

resultsThe number of patients enrolled in studies ranges from 17 to 521; in the end, a total of 1,637 patients have been enrolled in the study. Fertility parameters investigated were semen quality parameters and pregnancy rates and live births. A statistically significant relationship between physical exercise and sperm concentration (p=0.02), total sperm motility (p<0.01), total sperm count (p<0.01), normal morphology (p<0.01) has been established. Moreover, the study registered a statistically significant association within physical activity and total pregnancy rate (p<0.01) and live birth rate (p<0.01).

conclusionsWe demonstrated that physical activity is significantly associated with amelioration of semen parameters and may be crucial in improving or even reverting male infertility.

Indexed as

ExerciseFertilityOligospermiaReproductive techniquesSemen analysis

Identifiers

PMID38164031
PMCPMC11216966

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Registered trials

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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.