Contributors to Male Infertility: Comparative Analysis on Occupational Exposures, Transmitted Infections and Social Habits
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ijphn.v1i1.6047Keywords:
COVID-19, HPV, Lifestyle Factors, Male Infertility, Occupational Exposure, Pesticides, Sexually Transmitted Infections, SmokingAbstract
This study investigates the multiple factors that impact male infertility, a condition affecting nearly half of all infertility cases worldwide and increasingly linked to declining semen quality. While past research has often discussed occupational exposures, infectious diseases, and social habits separately, recent evidence has lacked an integrated comparative analysis. This study reviewed published articles between 2022 and 2025 to compare the relative influence of occupational hazards, transmitted infections, and lifestyle related changes that has effect on male reproductive health. A total of 25 peer-reviewed studies were included, covering diverse populations and exposure domains. Pooled random-effects indicated that infections (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.39–2.74) had the most substantial adverse effect on male fertility, followed closely by occupational exposures (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.34–2.46) and social habits (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.23–2.29). The study highlights that both biological and behavioral risk factors have similar contributions to impairing semen quality and infertility. Bridging critical evidence-based gaps to promote integrated prevention strategies—emphasizing infection control, workplace safety, and behavioral modification—is essential to reduce the growing global burden of male infertility.
References
Belladelli, F., Chen, T., Basran, S., Greenberg, D. R., Del Giudice, F., Mulloy, E., Chen, C.-H., Cheng, Y.-S., Salonia, A., & Eisenberg, M. L. (2023). The Association between Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime Cannabis Use, and Semen Parameters in Asian-American Men. The World Journal of Men’s Health, 41(3), 623. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.220106
Chang, C., Dai, Y., Zhang, J., Wu, Z., Li, S., & Zhou, Z. (2024). Associations between exposure to pesticides mixture and semen quality among the non-occupationally exposed males: Four statistical models. Environmental Research, 257, 119400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119400
Che, B.-W., Chen, P., Yu, Y., Li, W., Huang, T., Zhang, W.-J., Xu, S.-H., He, J., Liu, M., & Tang, K.-F. (2023). Effects of mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 on semen parameters and sex-related hormone levels in men: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian Journal of Andrology, 25(3), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.4103/aja202250
Chu, K. Y., Khodamoradi, K., Blachman-Braun, R., Dullea, A., Bidhan, J., Campbell, K., Zizzo, J., Israeli, J., Kim, M., Petrella, F., Ibrahim, E., & Ramasamy, R. (2023). Effect of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted by Modern Cellphones on Sperm Motility and Viability: An In Vitro Study. European Urology Focus, 9(1), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euf.2022.11.004
D, A., & T B, S. (2024). Impact of air pollution and heavy metal exposure on sperm quality: A clinical prospective research study. Toxicology Reports, 13, 101708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.101708
Edele Santos, D., Colonetti, T., Rodrigues Uggioni, M. L., Rech, P., Marcelino Baptista, M., Medeiros, L. R., Grande, A. J., & Rosa, M. I. (2023). Effects of COVID-19 or vaccines for SARS-COV-2 on sperm parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 160, 104140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2023.104140
Garolla, A., Mereu, S., Pizzol, D., Yon, D. K., Rahmati, M., Soysal, P., Ilie, P. C., Bertoldo, A., Trott, M., & Smith, L. (2024). Papillomavirus infection and male infertility: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Science Reports, 7(9), e70048. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70048
Hamed, M. A., Akhigbe, T. M., Adeogun, A. E., Adesoye, O. B., & Akhigbe, R. E. (2023). Impact of organophosphate pesticides exposure on human semen parameters and testosterone: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1227836. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1227836
Henriques, M. C., Santiago, J., Patrício, A., Herdeiro, M. T., Loureiro, S., & Fardilha, M. (2023). Smoking Induces a Decline in Semen Quality and the Activation of Stress Response Pathways in Sperm. Antioxidants, 12(10), 1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101828
Keikha, M., Hosseininasab-Nodoushan, S.-A., & Sahebkar, A. (2023). Association between Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Male Infertility:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 23(6), 746–755. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389557522666220827160659
Kulaksiz, D., Toprak, T., Tokat, E., Yilmaz, M., Ramazanoglu, M. A., Garayev, A., Sulukaya, M., Degirmentepe, R. B., Allahverdiyev, E., Gul, M., & Verit, A. (2022). Sperm concentration and semen volume increase after smoking cessation in infertile men. International Journal of Impotence Research, 34(6), 614–619. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-022-00605-0
Lahimer, M., Abou Diwan, M., Montjean, D., Cabry, R., Bach, V., Ajina, M., Ben Ali, H., Benkhalifa, M., & Khorsi-Cauet, H. (2023). Endocrine disrupting chemicals and male fertility: From physiological to molecular effects. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1232646. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1232646
LaPointe, S., Mehta, A., & Gaskins, A. J. (2023). Diet and recreational drug use in relation to male reproductive health. Fertility and Sterility, 120(6), 1089–1097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.10.013
Lv, M., Wang, H., Yang, Y., Sun, R., Ge, P., Zhang, J., Zhao, W., Han, S., & Zhou, D. (2022). Semen Quality Following Long-term Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde in China. JAMA Network Open, 5(9), e2230359. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.30359
McKinnon, C. J., Joglekar, D. J., Hatch, E. E., Rothman, K. J., Wesselink, A. K., Willis, M. D., Wang, T. R., Mikkelsen, E. M., Eisenberg, M. L., & Wise, L. A. (2022). Male personal heat exposures and fecundability: A preconception cohort study. Andrology, 10(8), 1511–1521. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.13242
Nguyen-Thanh, T., Hoang-Thi, A.-P., & Anh Thu, D. T. (2023). Investigating the association between alcohol intake and male reproductive function: A current meta-analysis. Heliyon, 9(5), e15723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15723
Osadchuk, L., Kleshchev, M., & Osadchuk, A. (2023). Effects of cigarette smoking on semen quality, reproductive hormone levels, metabolic profile, zinc and sperm DNA fragmentation in men: Results from a population-based study. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1255304. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1255304
Pw Kenny, R., Evelynne Johnson, E., Adesanya, A. M., Richmond, C., Beyer, F., Calderon, C., Rankin, J., Pearce, M. S., Toledano, M., Craig, D., & Pearson, F. (2024). The effects of radiofrequency exposure on male fertility: A systematic review of human observational studies with dose–response meta-analysis. Environment International, 190, 108817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108817
Rahban, R., Senn, A., Nef, S., & Rӧӧsli, M. (2023). Association between self-reported mobile phone use and the semen quality of young men. Fertility and Sterility, 120(6), 1181–1192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.09.009
Rodrigues, R., Sousa, C., Barros, A., & Vale, N. (2025). Chlamydia trachomatis: From Urogenital Infections to the Pathway of Infertility. Genes, 16(2), 205. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16020205
Trautman, A., Gurumoorthy, A., & Hansen, K. A. (2023). Effects of alcohol use on sperm chromatin structure, a retrospective analysis. Basic and Clinical Andrology, 33(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12610-023-00189-9
Verón, G. L., Manjon, A. A., Arévalo, L., Santiago, J., & Vazquez-Levin, M. H. (2024). Impact of heat waves on semen quality: A retrospective study in Argentina between 2005 and 2023. Science of The Total Environment, 943, 173813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173813
Wen, L., Tian, H., Huang, X., Song, T., Tang, L., Wei, W., Tian, S., Huang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2024). Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on semen parameters: A meta-analysis of 39 articles from 15 countries. Journal of Global Health, 14, 05021. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.14.05021
Zhang, Q.-F., Zhang, Y.-J., Wang, S., Wei, Y., Zhang, H., Li, F., & Deng, Y.-Q. (2024). Does COVID-19 affect sperm quality in males? The answer may be yes, but only temporarily. Virology Journal, 21(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-024-02290-5
Zhou, H., Wu, S., Tang, X., Zhou, G., Yuan, J., Li, Q., Chen, Y., Xu, X., Sun, X., Zhu, D., & Luo, Y. (2022). Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the genital tract is associated with inflammation and hypospermia in the infertile male of China. Asian Journal of Andrology, 24(1), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.4103/aja.aja_54_21
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Esmat Ara Parvin Tania
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
