{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,9]],"date-time":"2026-05-09T19:54:24Z","timestamp":1778356464720,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,7]],"date-time":"2024-06-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1717718400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The causal relationship between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and infertility has remained unclear. Thus, we used Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate this relationship.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Risk factors for SHBG were extracted from European individuals within the UK Biobank using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. Summary-level data for infertility outcomes were obtained from the FinnGen dataset. The causal relationship between SHBG and infertility was examined using inverse variance weighted, weighted model, weighted median, and MR-Egger regression analyses. Additionally, Cochran\u2019s Q test and Egger intercept tests were used to confirm the heterogeneity and pleiotropy of identified instrumental variables (IVs).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Our findings revealed a significant negative association between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels and infertility, particularly with anovulation, a specific form of female infertility. However, SHBG did not exert a causal impact on male infertility or on female infertility of tubal origin.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>SHBG expression offers protection against the development of certain types of female infertility, suggesting it is a potential therapeutic target for infertility.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0304216","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,7]],"date-time":"2024-06-07T18:02:02Z","timestamp":1717783322000},"page":"e0304216","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Examining the causal relationship between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and infertility: A Mendelian randomization study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Hanghao","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2609-1505","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yan","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,7]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0304216.ref001","first-page":"508","article-title":"INFERTILITY AND SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW.","volume":"58","author":"A Starc","year":"2019","journal-title":"Acta Clin Croat."},{"key":"pone.0304216.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinbiochem.2018.03.012","article-title":"Fertility and infertility: Definition and epidemiology","volume":"62","author":"M Vander Borght","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clin Biochem"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0304216.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2021.4788","article-title":"Diagnosis and Management of Infertility: A Review","volume":"326","author":"SA Carson","year":"2021","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0304216.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1520","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2009.09.009","article-title":"International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART) and the World Health Organization (WHO) revised glossary of ART terminology, 2009.","volume":"92","author":"F Zegers-Hochschild","year":"2009","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"pone.0304216.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.1002\/tre.216","article-title":"Male infertility: causes and investigations","volume":"2","author":"A. 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