SynthesisMedicine2026
Air pollution and male infertility: A meta-umbrella study of evidence on semen quality.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGrowing epidemiological evidence links air pollution to male reproductive health through oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and direct cellular damage. However, the magnitude and consistency of effects on semen quality parameters across different pollutant types and exposure durations remain uncertain.
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus through January 2025 for meta-analytic studies evaluating the impact of air pollution on semen parameters. Four eligible studies were assessed for methodological quality using AMSTAR 2. Random-effects meta-analyses yielded standardized mean differences (SMDs) for sperm concentration, count, total motility, progressive motility, and morphology.
resultsWe observed statistically significant negative associations between higher air pollution exposure and semen quality outcomes. Specifically, greater pollutant exposure was associated with lower total motility (SMD -0.24; 95% CI -0.48 to -0.01; P = .04), progressive motility (SMD -0.06; 95% CI -0.10 to -0.01; P < .001), and morphology (SMD -0.09; 95% CI -0.13 to -0.04; P < .001). Concentration was inversely related to pollution levels (SMD -0.14; 95% CI -0.21 to -0.06; P < .001), while sperm count showed a trend toward reduction but did not reach statistical significance (SMD -0.12; 95% CI -0.26 to 0.01; P = .06).
conclusionThis meta-umbrella analysis confirms consistent, modest negative associations between ambient air pollution and key semen quality parameters, underscoring air pollution as a modifiable risk factor for male infertility. Future studies should define threshold exposures and evaluate protective interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.