Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40263962›Full record

ArticleThe world journal of men's health2026

Global Andrology Forum Clinical Guidelines on the Relevance of Sperm DNA Fragmentation in Reproductive Medicine.

Selahittin Çayan, Ala'a Farkouh, Ashok Agarwal, Widi Atmoko, Christine Wyns, Mohamed Arafa, Armand Zini, Rupin Shah, Hiva Alipour, Eric Chung and 48 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The world journal of men's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. 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

58 authors.

Selahittin ÇayanDepartment of Urology, University of Mersin School of Medicine, Mersin, Türkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4784-2208
Ala'a FarkouhGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0362-9109
Ashok AgarwalGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0585-1026
Widi AtmokoGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-7083
Christine WynsGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6581-5003
Mohamed ArafaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0107-8857
Armand ZiniGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2194-5578
Rupin ShahGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7868-5949
Hiva AlipourGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8500-4208
Eric ChungGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3373-3668
Ramadan SalehGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0503-3533
Germar-Michael PinggeraGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6463-2494
Charalampos KonstantinidisGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4689-6899
Manaf Al HashimiGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2458-179X
Edoardo PescatoriGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9326-5598
Amarnath RambhatlaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1383-6670
Tuncay ToprakGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1348-5273
Aldo E CalogeroGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6950-335X
Murat GülGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6657-6227
Hyun Jun ParkGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0566-9574
Baris AltayGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3101-8022
Marco FalconeGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1101-892X
Ayman RashedGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1994-2228
Tan V LeGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1766-7453
Fahmi BaharGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7027-9436
Taras ShatylkoGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3902-9236
Sadık GörürGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-5428
Ahmed I El-SakkaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8671-5952
Barış SaylamGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3256-8752
Selcuk SarikayaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6426-1398
Ryan Patrick SmithGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3880-9740
Luca BoeriGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0040-784X
Ozan EfesoyGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5650-1686
Erman CeyhanGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8223-6399
Giorgio Ivan RussoGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4687-7353
Cevahir OzerGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7850-6912
Christopher Chee Kong HoGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8757-6867
Nur Dokuzeylul GungorGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7234-3876
Deniz Noyan ÖzlüGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2435-5482
Juan Manuel Corral MolinaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1423-0256
Muhammad Ujudud MusaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1095-5447
Akira TsujimuraGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3821-5184
Fatih GokalpGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3099-3317
Mohamed Saeed MohamedGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8814-7741
Keisuke OkadaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2819-6047
Kareim KhalafallaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9476-4869
Shinnosuke KurodaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8890-0297
Saleh BinsalehGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8946-4749
Ahmad Tarek MotawiGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0962-0604
Iman ShamohammadiGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-6257
Nasser MogharabianGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8795-973X
Manh Truong ManhGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5924-841X
Emad Abdelraheem TahaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6549-2526
Konstantinos MakarounisGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3971-8330
Siu King MakGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1179-2608
Shedeed Ashour ShedeedGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7742-8932
Charalampos ThomasGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0139-2221
Taymour MostafaGlobal Andrology Forum, Global Andrology Foundation, Moreland Hills, OH, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3627-0662

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo evaluate the evidence on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and its clinical applications in reproductive medicine, highlighting benefits, limitations, and guidelines for its use to assist clinicians in objective decision-making. MATERIALS AND

methodsA multidisciplinary team of clinicians and reproductive experts from the Global Andrology Forum (GAF) reviewed the latest evidence on SDF, covering indications, testing methods, recurrent pregnancy loss, varicocele and its repair, assisted reproductive technologies (ART), treatment of associated conditions, antioxidant therapy, and sperm selection for ART. Expert statements and recommendations were developed and graded with the GRADE system using a modified Delphi process.

resultsBased on the GAF surveys, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses related to SDF, 52 experts introduced and scored 24 statements and recommendations using the GRADE system. Of these, 87.5% (21/24) achieved strong ratings, reflecting broad consensus, while 12.5% (3/24) were rated weak. The guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical scenarios, including the role of SDF in infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and ART outcomes.

conclusionsWhile there is growing interest and evidence regarding the clinical benefit of SDF testing and its utility in managing male infertility, significant gaps in the literature limit its routine use in clinical practice. The guidelines offer a structured framework for integrating SDF testing into male infertility management, emphasizing a tailored approach based on individual clinical scenarios. Clinicians must balance the benefits and limitations of SDF testing and antioxidant treatment to optimize care in reproductive medicine. These guidelines are critical for advancing evidence-based practices in male infertility management.

Indexed as

DNA fragmentationInfertility, malePractice guidelineReproductive medicineSpermatozoa

Identifiers

PMID40263962
PMCPMC12798372

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