Table 4. Characteristics of studies referenced online.
| Study | Main study finding | Study population; sample size | Engagements | References to article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nassan et al [10] | Marijuana smokers had higher sperm counts than non-users | Men presenting to a fertility center; n=662 | 140,926 | 11 |
| Sumner et al [9] | Two common industrial chemicals found in the environment caused deleterious effects in sperm | Human (n=9) and canine (n=11) males | 73,024 | 6 |
| Tiegs et al [11] | Sperm counts have declined over time | Men presenting to fertility center; n=119,972 | 19,636 | 2 |
| Sales et al [23] | Increasing temperatures negatively affect fertility in ectotherms | Male flour beetles; n=51 (treatment group) | 25,120 | 2 |
| Yildirim et al [12] | Duration of cell phone use did not affect sperm parameters | Men presenting for semen analysis; n=1,031 | 15,217 | 1 |
| Chang et al [13] | Decline in sperm quality had geographic variations | Semen analysis specimens; n=124,107 | 6,010 | 1 |
| Shen et al [14] | Short ejaculatory abstinence improved sperm quality and in vitrofertilization outcomes | n=167 couples (experimental); n=361 couples (control) | 4,636 | 1 |
| Murphy et al [15] | Cannabis exposure in humans and rats resulted in lower sperm concentrations due to changes in DNA methylation | Human (n=24) and rodent (n=16) males | 4,415 | 1 |
| Nassan et al [16] | Healthy diet increased sperm count and sperm function | Danish men presenting for military service medical testing; n=2,935 | 41,749 | 2 |
| Rahban et al [17] | Significant proportion of young Swiss men have suboptimal semen quality | Military conscripted men from all regions of Switzerland; n=2,523 | 2,996 | 1 |
| Hamilton et al [18] | Heat stress on sperm may be due to mitochondrial alterations | Santa Ines rams; n=6 (treated) and n=6 (control) | 2,336 | 1 |
| Umehara et al [19] | Activation of toll-like receptors 7/8 in sperm can preferentially result in male offspring sex selection | Variable numbers of mice in numerous experiments | 348 | 1 |
| Lee et al [20] | Systematic review and meta-analysis showed that weight loss from bariatric surgery increased male sex hormones | Men who underwent bariatric surgery in 28 studies; n=1,022 | 155 | 1 |
| Arafa et al [21] | Poster on a marketing website showing that an oral antioxidant (“FH Pro”) decreased seminal oxidative stress. | Infertile men; n=101 | 131 | 1 |
| Hosseini et al [22] | Systematic review and meta-analysis showed that omega-3 fatty acids improved sperm motility | Human males; n=147 (treated) and n=143 (control) | 127 | 1 |
Male infertility online content with the highest social media engagement referenced 15 scientific studies, with two studies predominating. Studies varied by use of human subjects or non-human subjects, and sample sizes ranged from vary few to very many. Despite the limitations of subject type or limited sample size, popular online content tended to extrapolate results to arrive at inappropriately generalized conclusions.