Review identifies priorities for male infertility care in assisted reproduction clinics

A review in Human Reproduction Update examines male reproductive health management in assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics, focusing on fertility awareness, psychosocial support and barriers to adopting new diagnostic and treatment technologies. The authors searched PubMed and article references for relevant peer-reviewed literature through March 2026, without a publication-date restriction. The supplied abstract does not report the number of included studies or pooled effect estimates.

The review reports that men rarely receive routine healthcare follow-up after providing a sample for assisted reproduction. It also highlights evidence linking paternal genetics, epigenetics, age, oxidative stress and sperm DNA damage to embryo development and offspring health. Current approaches such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection can bypass, rather than address, underlying physiological causes of infertility. The authors identify limited direct collaboration between researchers and clinicians as a possible contributor to slow adoption of novel technologies.

The authors recommend collaborative assessment involving general practitioners, urologists, endocrinologists and andrologists, alongside mental health support during and after fertility treatment. They also call for better fertility education and public health messaging for men. These are review-based priorities, not evidence from a new intervention trial; the abstract provides no quantitative estimates of benefits from integrated care or specific technologies.