A unique view on male infertility around the globe

Abstract

BackgroundInfertility affects an estimated 15% of couples globally, amounting to 48.5 million couples. Males are found to be solely responsible for 20-30% of infertility cases and contribute to 50% of cases overall. However, this number does not accurately represent all regions of the world. Indeed, on a global level, there is a lack of accurate statistics on rates of male infertility. Our report examines major regions of the world and reports rates of male infertility based on data on female infertility.MethodsOur search consisted of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and population-based studies by searching the terms “epidemiology, male infertility, and prevalence.” We identified 16 articles for detailed study. We typically used the assumption that 50% of all cases of infertility are due to female factors alone, 20-30% are due to male factors alone, and the remaining 20-30% are due to a combination of male and female factors. Therefore, in regions of the world where male factor or rates of male infertility were not reported, we used this assumption to calculate general rates of male factor infertility.ResultsOur calculated data showed that the distribution of infertility due to male factor ranged from 20% to 70% and that the percentage of infertile men ranged from 2·5% to 12%. Infertility rates were highest in Africa and Central/Eastern Europe. Additionally, according to a variety of sources, rates of male infertility in North America, Australia, and Central and Eastern Europe varied from 4 5-6%, 9%, and 8-12%, respectively.ConclusionThis study demonstrates a novel and unique way to calculate the distribution of male infertility around the world. According to our results, at least 30 million men worldwide are infertile with the highest rates in Africa and Eastern Europe. Results indicate further research is needed regarding etiology and treatment, reduce stigma & cultural barriers, and establish a more precise calculation.

Inhibition by Egb761 of the effect of cellphone radiation on the male reproductive system

“…The etiology of the direct or indirect contribution of male factors in infertility is 50 % and is solely responsible for 20-30 % of human infertility (33). Problems related to sperm production can originate from many different factors such as hormonal, environmental, physical level within the testicle, causing problems with the seminiferous tubules.…”

Prevalence of the Infertility Among Couples in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso): a Population-based Survey

“…To determine the sample size, we considered the formula for sample size calculation in prevalence surveys, a 95% confidence interval, an alpha error of 5% and an infertility prevalence of 15% [8]. We estimated the cluster effect at 2 to determine the final sample size of 461 households to which we added 5% (total sample size was 480) to address potential non responses.…”

Guidance and Self‐Sorting of Active Swimmers: 3D Periodic Arrays Increase Persistence Length of Human Sperm Selecting for the Fittest

“…Human infertility affects an estimated 15% of couples globally (about 50 million total), and nearly one‐third of these infertility cases are of male origin 1. Many such cases are treated with assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs),2, 3 most commonly using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) 4.…”