Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for male infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis on improving sperm quality and fertility outcomes

Liu, Bang1,#; Wang, Jin1,#; Liu, Lvjun1; Lv, Mengmei1; Zhou, Dai1,2,*; Li, Min2,*

Author Information

1Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Hereditary Birth Defect Prevention and Control, Changsha Hospital for Maternal & Child Health Care Affiliated to Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

2Reproductive & Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

*Correspondence to: Dai Zhou, PhD, Zhoudai605@outlook.com; Min Li, MD, limin1938@sina.com.

#Both authors contributed equally to this work.

Funding:This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (No. 82201771), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Nos. 2024JJ6083 and 2023JJ40069), the Health Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission (No. W20243143), the Project of Hunan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. C2024035), the Science and Technology Innovation Project of Hunan Province (No. 2021SK53204), and the Natural Science Foundation of Changsha (Nos. kq2202491 and kq2502312).

Abstract

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has emerged as a potential adjunctive treatment for male infertility, as it targets various sperm abnormalities and improves fertility outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in treating male infertility. A comprehensive literature search identified nine eligible studies, which were assessed for quality using the Jadad scale and analyzed for heterogeneity. The meta-analysis revealed significant improvements in sperm survival, density, morphology, normal sperm rates, and motility following hyperbaric oxygen therapy, with an increased clinical pregnancy rate. Subgroup analyses based on infertility etiology and treatment duration further elucidated the heterogeneity of male infertility stemming from the etiology of infertility. Despite the high robustness of the meta-analysis results, the study is limited by the small number of included trials and potential publication bias. In conclusion, when combined with conventional treatments, hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly enhances sperm parameters and fertility, underscoring its role as an effective adjunctive therapy for male infertility.

摘要

高压氧治疗已成为男性不育症的一种潜在辅助治疗方法，因为它能够针对多种精子异常并改善生育结局。这项系统综述和荟萃分析整合了随机对照试验的数据，以评估高压氧治疗男性不育症的疗效。通过全面的文献检索，筛选出九项符合条件的研究，使用Jadad量表评估其质量，并分析了异质性。荟萃分析显示，高压氧治疗后，精子存活率、密度、形态、正常精子率和活动力均有显著改善，且临床妊娠率提高。基于不育病因和治疗时长的亚组分析进一步阐明，男性不育的异质性源于不育的病因。尽管荟萃分析结果具有较高的稳健性，但本研究受限于纳入试验数量较少以及潜在的发表偏倚。总之，当与传统治疗联合使用时，高压氧治疗能显著改善精子参数和生育能力，凸显了其作为男性不育症有效辅助治疗手段的作用。