BACKGROUND: Healthy People 2010 devotes an objective specifically to increasing male involvement in family planning projects. And the 1987 WHO Multi-Center Study on infertility found that male infertility was present in 51.1% of couples. The effective involvement of men in reproductive health programs depends on a solid research base. This paper examines the extent to which men have been included in reproductive health research studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
METHODS: 1. Medline database searches for the periods 1966-1990 and 1991-2000, using the search terms "reproduction," "human," "United States," "epidemology," or "clinical trial." 2. Analysis of single-sex studies funded by the National Insitute for Child Health and Development (NICHD) in 1997. 3. Trends in male participation in research studies sponsored by the National Institute for Child Health and Development.
FINDINGS: 1. Medline search, 1966-1990: • Epidemiological studies: Female--3,405 Male--1,068 • Clinical trials: Female--139 Male--20 2. Medline search, 1991-2000: • Epidemiological studies: Female--3,385 Male--972 • Clinical trials: Female--187 Male--49 2. NICHD single-sex studies: • 93 female-only studies: 47 on pregnancy, 2 on reproduction • 13 male-only studies: 4 on infertility, one on fragile X, one on sperm aneuploidy 3. Males represented only 31.6% of participants in NICHD extramural research studies in 1997
CONCLUSIONS: Counts of published epidemiological studies on reproductive health reveal that men have lagged by a 3:1 margin since at least 1966. Men have lagged in participation in clinical trials by an even greater margin.
Analyses of NICHD single-sex studies and male enrollments in NICHD studies further support the conclusion of the underrepresentation of men.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe findings of Medline analysis of male participation in epidemiological studies and clinical trials on reproductive health. 2. Characterize recent NICHD single-sex studies. 3. Cite the extent of male enrollment in recent NICHD research studies.
Keywords: Male Reproductive Health, Reproductive Health Research
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None