Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40747475›Full record

ArticleArab journal of urology2025

Idiopathic male infertility - what are we missing?

Luca Boeri, Hussein Kandil, Jonathan Ramsay

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Arab journal of urology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing 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

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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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

3 authors.

Luca BoeriDepartment of Urology, IRCCS Fondazione Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Hussein KandilDepartment of Fertility, Fakih IVF Fertility Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Jonathan RamsayDepartment of Andrology, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Couple's infertility is a rising issue worldwide affecting approximately 15% of couples. In 50% of the couples, a male factor infertility can be identified. Moreover, 30% of the men exhibit reduced sperm quality without any identifiable reason, thereby delineating the condition of idiopathic male infertility (IMI). Despite numerous improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility over the last decades, idiopathic forms are still the most challenging clinical dilemmas. The aim of this article is to describe the comprehensive diagnostic work-up that each idiopathic infertile man should follow. Moreover, potential new pathophysiological mechanisms and suggested treatment options are discussed. A detailed medical history and an extensive physical examination are mandatory to investigate potential treatable causes of MFI. Similarly, standard semen analysis has been proven to be limited in capturing the fecundability of the spermatozoa itself, therefore more advanced examinations, such as sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and oxidative stress measurement, are becoming important in clinical practice for IMI. In terms of diagnostic tools, imaging and genetic investigations are useful to classify idiopathic infertile men, however, epigenetic changes have demonstrated to have a role in sperm production and a prognostic value in fertility outcomes. Antioxidant treatment for IMI has been found to be a valid option to counteract ROS action, while gonadotropins are used to improve sperm quality and SDF. Artificial intelligence is promising to better manage idiopathic infertile men in terms of diagnosis and treatment options.

Indexed as

idiopathic infertilityMale infertilitysemen analysis

Identifiers

PMID40747475
PMCPMC12308862

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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 Socratic graph.