Wuzi Yanzong Pill for the treatment of male infertility: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: The incidence of male infertility is increasing worldwide, and has become an important problem that plagues many married couples. Half of the infertility cases have induced by male infertility. Wuzi Yanzong Pill is a traditional Chinese herbal formula used in treating spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, lumbago and male sterility widely. Therefore, in this systematic review, we design to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Wuzi-Yanzong Pill for the treatment of male infertility. METHODS: The English and Chinese literature published before June 30, 2020 will be searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Chinese literature in China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese biomedical document service system, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, WANFANG data. All related randomized controlled trials that meet the eligibility criteria will be included and other studies will be excluded. We will search literature with text keywords “male infertility” or “sperm” or “semen” and “Wuzi Yanzong Pill” or “Wuziyangzong” or “WZYZ”. Progressive motility, sperm concentration, sperm morphology, sperm viability, sperm DNA fragmentation, sperm number per ejaculate, pregnancy rates will be evaluated. RevMan 5.3 and Stata 14.0 will be used to conduct this systematic review. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis protocols statement is followed in this protocol and the PRISMA statement will be followed in the completed systematic review. CONCLUSION: The efficacy and safety of Wuzi Yanzong Pill in the treatment of male infertility will be e evaluated. The results of this review may provide some help for the clinician's decision.