Volume 29, Issue 161, July 2025

Obesity and male infertility: Systematic review

Arkadiusz Zaremba^1♦, Franciszek Cichur¹, Krzysztof Cieślak¹, Michał Widawski², Damian Zaremba³, Aleksandra Górniak⁴

¹Scanmed Rudolf Weigl Hospital, Sosnowa 16, 42-290 Blachownia, Poland
²Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny im. NMP w Częstochowie, Bialska 104/118, 42-202 Częstochowa, Poland
³University Clinical Hospital No.2 of Medical University of Lodz, Żeromskiego 113; 90-549 Łódź; Poland
⁴University of Zielona Góra, Licealna 9, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Arkadiusz Zaremba, Scanmed Rudolf Weigl Hospital in Blachownia, Poland

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Male infertility is a major global health problem, and numerous studies have been conducted to determine the factors that influence it. Among the causes, obesity is often mentioned. The aim of our study was to analyze how obesity affects male infertility. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted from 2015 to January 2025 via PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases with the following keywords (Obesity OR Body mass index AND semen analysis OR male infertility). The main outcome of interest was the effect of obesity on male infertility and semen parameters. Results: Out of 1680 articles found in databases, only 21 met the criteria for inclusion in the final review. Most studies demonstrated that increased BMI is associated with reduced sperm quality parameters, more frequent sperm DNA fragmentation and adverse changes in hormonal profiles. Some researchers found minimal or no significant correlation between obesity and semen parameters. Conclusion: Our systematic review demonstrated increased body mass index is associated with reduced semen quality. We can assume that obesity is a significant factor that can cause male infertility.

Keywords: Obesity, body mass index, male infertility, semen analysis

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e101ms3594

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i161.e101ms3594

Published: 07 July 2025