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Bariatric Surgery Does Not Improve Semen Quality: Evidence from a Meta-analysis

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A Correction to this article was published on 22 February 2022

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Abstract

The meta-analysis aimed to explore the possible relationship between bariatric surgery and semen quality. PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched from database inception through October 28, 2021. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated the impact pre- and post-bariatric surgery on semen parameters. A total of 9 studies with 218 patients were found. The mean preoperative age distribution of the patients included centralized from 18 to 50 years, and the mean pre-op BMI ranged from 36.7 to 70.5 kg/m2. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 24 months. The results revealed that bariatric surgery had no significant effect on sperm volume, concentration, total count, morphology, total motility, progressive motility, viability, semen pH, and semen leukocytes. Bariatric surgery does not improve semen quality in obese males.

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Funding

This work received financial support from the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (no. 2017A030313855), Dongguan Science and Technology of Social Development Program (no. 20211800902451 and 202050715024111) and Chongqing Natural Science Foundation Project (cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0036).

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Author notes

  1. Zhiguang Gao, Yuzhi Liang and Sen Yang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the affiliated Dongguan Shilong People’s Hospital of Southern Medical University, Dongguan, 523320, China

    Zhiguang Gao, Sen Yang, Tao Zhang, Zuyuan Gong & Min Li

  2. Department of Medical Imaging, the affiliated Dongguan Shilong People’s Hospital of Southern Medical University, Dongguan, 523320, China

    Yuzhi Liang

  3. Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China

    **gge Yang

  4. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of **an University, 613 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong Province, China

    Sen Yang

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  1. Zhiguang Gao
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  4. Tao Zhang
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Correspondence to **gge Yang.

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Key Points

1. Bariatric surgery did not change sperm volume, concentration, and total count.

2. There were no changes in sperm morphology, motility, and viability after bariatric surgery.

3. Semen pH and leukocytes remained unchanged following bariatric surgery.

4. Bariatric surgery does not improve semen quality in obese men.

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Gao, Z., Liang, Y., Yang, S. et al. Bariatric Surgery Does Not Improve Semen Quality: Evidence from a Meta-analysis. OBES SURG 32, 1341–1350 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-05901-8

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