Male Infertility and Reduced Life Expectancy: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or meta-analytic pooling
PubMed 40507691 · doi:10.3390/jcm14113930
What was done
This narrative review synthesized evidence from published epidemiological cohort studies and mechanistic literature examining the relationship between male infertility, semen parameter abnormalities, and all-cause mortality or life expectancy.
What was found
No quantitative effect sizes, risk ratios, or mortality rates were provided in the abstract. The review reports that cohort studies show an association between poorer semen parameters and elevated all-cause mortality in a dose-dependent pattern, with greater abnormalities tracking higher risk of premature death. Proposed mechanisms include genetic disorders (e.g., Klinefelter syndrome linked to metabolic syndrome and malignancies), hormonal deficits (low testosterone associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease), psychosocial stress, and environmental/socioeconomic factors.
Why it matters
Male fertility assessment may serve as an early clinical indicator of systemic health vulnerabilities, providing an opportunity for preventive screening for cardiometabolic disease, hormonal imbalances, mental health issues, and malignancies.
Limits
The publication is a narrative review presenting no new human data or quantitative meta-analyses. The abstract omits sample sizes, study counts, and specific numerical risk estimates. The underlying primary evidence is observational, leaving associations susceptible to residual confounding by lifestyle, health behaviors, and socioeconomic factors.