Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38416171›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2024

Male sexual and reproductive health in multiple sclerosis: a scoping review.

Karlo Toljan, Farren B S Briggs

Open access · hybridAbstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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.

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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Impact of sex on multiple sclerosis therapy.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Men's health research priorities in men with multiple sclerosis.Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical
    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

2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Karlo ToljanMellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. toljank@ccf.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3189-9659
Farren B S BriggsDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
Cleveland Clinic · USUniversity of Miami · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease with highest incidence during the period of optimal reproductive health. This scoping review aimed to identify and summarize available data on sexual/reproductive health in males with MS (MwMS).

methodsThis review was based on PRISMA extension for Scoping Review. PubMed database was searched for keyword "multiple sclerosis" alongside keywords "sexual health", "reproductive health", "family planning", "male fertility", "male infertility", "sexual dysfunction", and "erectile dysfunction", iteratively using the "AND" logical operator. Descriptive analysis was performed on the included articles.

resultsThirty-four studies were included, and four topics emerged: sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, fertility, and family planning. Sexual dysfunction is common in MwMS (35-72%), yet only a minority of MwMS discuss their sexual health with their treatment teams. Both MS disability and depression were associated with sexual dysfunction in MwMS, with erectile dysfunction and decreased libido as the most prevalent aspects of sexual dysfunction. Positively, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors appear effective for treating erectile dysfunction and improving sexual quality of life in MwMS. There may also be a relationship between MS and male infertility, though changes in sexual behavior may underlie this association. Finally, a prominent knowledge gap was observed for disease-modifying therapy use and family planning in MwMS.

conclusionSexual dysfunction is common, impacted by MS severity, and associates with decreased quality of life in MwMS. Communication barriers regarding sexual and reproductive health appear to exist between MwMS and providers, as do literature gaps related to MS therapeutics and sexual/reproductive health.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisReproductive HealthSexual Dysfunction, PhysiologicalErectile DysfunctionHumansMaleSexual HealthErectile dysfunctionFamily planningMale infertilityMultiple sclerosisReproductive healthSexual dysfunction

Identifiers

PMID38416171
PMCPMC11055735
OpenAlexW4392241957

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.