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

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.