The effect of obesity interventions on male fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: Obesity is a prevalent modifiable cause of male factor infertility. Preconception guidelines recommend men maintain a healthy weight; however, they provide limited guidance regarding methods or volume of weight loss for men with obesity. First-line interventions for weight loss involve lifestyle optimization (healthy diet and exercise), followed by pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery in severe cases. Each modality has differing weight loss potential and complications for which the reproductive implications are currently unclear.
Objective and rationale: To synthesize the available evidence regarding the reproductive effects of obesity interventions in men with obesity. Where possible, to evaluate whether the observed effects depend on the magnitude of weight loss.
Search methods: Searches for articles published in English was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus from inception until December 2024, using prespecified keywords pertaining to four categories: male, overweight/obesity, weight loss (bariatric surgery, nutrition, diet, lifestyle, exercise, pharmacotherapy) and fertility (conception, assisted reproduction, sperm, semen). Studies of reproductive-aged men (18-50 years) who underwent an obesity intervention with established weight loss benefits and undertook repeated assessment of reproduction capacity (semen analysis, conception rates, assisted reproduction outcomes) before and after the…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metformin as an adjuvant in breast cancer treatment
- Metformin Lysosomal Targeting: A Novel Aspect to Be Investigated for Metformin Repurposing in Neurodegenerative Diseases?
- Aberrant HSF1 signaling activation underlies metformin amelioration of myocardial infarction in mice
- Metformin induces ZFP36 by mTORC1 inhibition in cervical cancer-derived cell lines
- Protein Interaction Network for Identifying Vascular Response of Metformin (Oral Antidiabetic)
- Preventing Long COVID With Metformin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.