OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between Ureaplasma urealyticum infection and infertility in Chinese males.

METHODSAccording to the results of the heterogeneity test, a comprehensive quantitative analysis was made of 49 papers on Ureaplasma urealyticum infection and Chinese male infertility by RevMan 4.2.2. The impacts of different sample volumes on the research findings were compared, and the sensitivities of culture and PCR detections analyzed respectively.

RESULTSUreaplasma urealyticum had a significant negative impact on Chinese male fertility. Based on different samples of literature, two rounds of screening and analysis were carried out and two different conclusions derived. The first was OR = 4.43 (95% CI: 3.77-5.22), with the OR values of culture and PCR detections as 4.25 (95% CI: 3.59-5.03) and 5.35 (95% CI: 3.37-8.47), and the second was OR = 4.28 (95% CI: 3.52-5.20), with the OR values of culture and PCR detections as 4.24 (95% CI: 3.41-5.28) and 4.42 (95% CI: 2.73-7.17).

CONCLUSIONThere is a significant correlation between Ureaplasma urealyticum and Chinese male infertility. The conclusion of study is significantly influenced by the sample volume, which should be reasonably designed. The sensitivity of PCR detection is higher than that of culture detection.