Can Crotch Length Predict Infertility in Men?

Does the story adequately quantify the benefits of the treatment/test/product/procedure?

Not Satisfactory

Benefits are not addressed – and this ties in to our comments in the “harms” criterion above.  You don’t test unless you know what good it will do.  And the story is silent on that potential benefit. It just raises the picture of more testing without any discussion of benefit.

Does the story adequately explain/quantify the harms of the intervention?

Not Satisfactory

There was no discussion of harms.  But this story promotes a “simple…noninvasive way to test testicular function and reproductive potential in adult men.”  So presumably one would act on the basis of what this simple test shows.  That opens questions about the sensitivity and specificity of this approach – neither of which are addressed and both of which raise issues of potential harm, overtesting and overtreatment for the man.

Maybe not so “simple” as described.

Does the story seem to grasp the quality of the evidence?

Not Satisfactory

The journal article itself lists all sorts of potential limitations to the study, none of which are mentioned in the story.  For example:

• Certain limitations warrant mention. As a referral center for male infertility, it was not always possible to blind observers to the men’s diagnoses or fatherhood status which theoretically can lead to observer bias.
•  the current method of AGD measurement in adult men has not been studied, thus its accuracy and reproducibility were difficult to assess other than the performed comparison of measurements between investigators.
• In addition, only men referred to and evaluated in our clinic were eligible for enrollment; therefore, it is possible that our patient population does not represent all infertile men.
• It is also important to note that the fertile controls were significantly older than the infertile patients. While age was not associated with AGD after accounting for fatherhood status and no evidence of effect modification by age was found, it possible that AGD could change with age.
• In addition, while all patients were measured in the same position, some men were measured at the time of surgery under general anesthesia while others were awake. It is conceivable that anesthesia may affect measurements.

This was a cross sectional study in small group of men in a referral center. This type of study design is fraught with flaws, especially that one cannot make causal inferences. Obviously the length of the list of limitations dampens any conclusions about length of a crotch.

Does the story compare the new approach with existing alternatives?

Not Satisfactory

No comparison is made with any other method of testing testicular function or reproductive potential in adult men.