{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,12]],"date-time":"2025-11-12T14:22:44Z","timestamp":1762957364233,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,15]],"date-time":"2024-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713139200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Endocrinol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Stroke is a devastating global health issue, with high mortality and disability rates. The increasing prevalence of male infertility among reproductive-aged men has become a growing concern worldwide. However, the relationship between male infertility and stroke incidence remains uncertain. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by employing a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>Utilizing genetic instrumental variables derived from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on male infertility and stroke, a two-sample MR design was implemented. Five different analysis methods, with inverse-variance weighted as the primary approach, were used to examine the genetic causal associations between male infertility and various stroke subtypes. Heterogeneity analysis, pleiotropy tests, and leave-one-out validation were conducted to assess heterogeneity, evaluate pleiotropy, and ensure the robustness of the findings.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Result<\/jats:title><jats:p>The results indicate a potential lower risk of small vessel stroke associated with male infertility (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.82, 0.68 to 0.99, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>=0.044), although no significant impact on other stroke subtypes was observed. The study exhibited low heterogeneity and no apparent pleiotropy; however, the stability of the results was not optimal.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Male infertility might potentially confer a protective effect against small vessel stroke risk. Caution is warranted due to potential confounding factors. Additional studies are necessary to confirm these findings and provide further validation.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2024.1338077","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,15]],"date-time":"2024-04-15T04:12:03Z","timestamp":1713154323000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Causal associations of male infertility with stroke: a two-sample Mendelian randomization 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