Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is increasingly associated with extra-digestive diseases. Infertility is a common condition, with an incidence of 10 to 15% of couples. Studies examining the association of H. pylori infection and infertility have reported conflicting results. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between H. pylori infection and infertility.
Methods: Studies of H. pylori infection and infertility were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. We performed a meta-analysis of all case-control studies.
Results: Seven studies that analyzed the relationship between H. pylori infection and infertility, with a combined study population of 1,902 patients, were included in the meta-analysis (n = 626 for patients; n = 1,276 for controls). In the infertility group, 344 (54.9%) patients were H. pylori-positive, and 495 (38.8%) were H. pylori-positive in the control group. Our result suggested that H. pylori infection was associated significantly with infertility (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.197 - 2.160; I2 = 36.5%, Z = 3.15, p = 0.002). Begg's and Egger's funnel plot showed no publication bias (p = 0.807).
Conclusions: Our meta-analysis identified a possible association between H. pylori infection and infertility.