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Impacts of Medications on Male Fertility

Overview of attention for book
Attention for Chapter 6: Pain Medications and Male Reproduction
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 25% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (86th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (91st percentile)

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1 news outlet
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7 X users

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59 Mendeley
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Chapter title
Pain Medications and Male Reproduction
Chapter number 6
Book title
Impacts of Medications on Male Fertility
Published in
Advances in experimental medicine and biology, January 2017
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-69535-8_6
Pubmed ID
Book ISBNs
978-3-31-969534-1, 978-3-31-969535-8
Authors

Erma Z. Drobnis, Ajay K. Nangia, Drobnis, Erma Z., Nangia, Ajay K.

Abstract

The increasing use of opioid medications has become a crisis in developed countries. The profound negative effects of opioids on male reproduction are well known, but this topic is absent from the current conversations about these medications. In the fertility clinic, a significant proportion of our patients are using opioids for pain management, and the options for these men are unclear. Opioids exert their negative effects by a variety of mechanisms. At high doses, testosterone levels fall significantly and hypogonadism is seen. In part, this results from increased prolactin and inhibition of gonadotropin production/secretion by the pituitary. However, negative effects on the testis are seen even in the absence of decreased androgen levels. As we review in this chapter, Leydig and germ cells produce endogenous opioids, and receptors for these substances are present throughout the testis. For example, endogenous opioids produced by Leydig and germ cells provide paracrine inhibition at Sertoli cell receptors, decreasing the production of androgen binding protein, which is required for intra-testis transport of androgens. Morphine also increases the expression of aromatase in the brain and testis and acts directly on the testis and germ cells to decrease testicular function. Exogenous opioids in men reduce semen quality, including increased DNA fragmentation. All opioids have these effects, but less damage is caused by lower doses, shorter-acting opioids, and by some drugs with mixed receptor activity, such as tramadol and tapentadol. The non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have much less effect on the male reproductive system, although there is a paucity of human studies. Paracetamol has been shown to cause sperm abnormalities, including DNA fragmentation, and to increase time to pregnancy and may prove to be of greater concern. In rodents, paracetamol has negative impacts on seminiferous tubule histology and fertility. Robust, well-designed studies in humans are needed.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 7 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 59 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 59 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Bachelor 11 19%
Student > Postgraduate 6 10%
Student > Master 5 8%
Researcher 5 8%
Student > Ph. D. Student 5 8%
Other 10 17%
Unknown 17 29%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 20 34%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 5 8%
Nursing and Health Professions 3 5%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 3 5%
Immunology and Microbiology 3 5%
Other 7 12%
Unknown 18 31%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 12. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 15 February 2024.
All research outputs
#2,986,015
of 25,503,365 outputs
Outputs from Advances in experimental medicine and biology
#453
of 5,260 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#56,267
of 422,396 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Advances in experimental medicine and biology
#42
of 492 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,503,365 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 88th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,260 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 6.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 91% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 422,396 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 86% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 492 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 91% of its contemporaries.