Table 3 Key findings of the stepwise scientometric analysis of publications on SDF

Step 1

Increased trend in publications on SDF over the past 20 years

Step 2

Increased number of articles reporting the association between SDF and male infertility

Step 3

SDF research was mainly focused on lifestyle, varicocele and asthenozoospermia while less investigated in association with testicular cancer, globozoospermia and hypogonadism

Step 4

Majority of the mechanistic studies were based on oxidative stress and the number of publications on mechanistic studies of SDF was twice as much as prognostic/diagnostic studies

Step 5

TUNEL assay was the most widely used technique to assess SDF

Step 6

Significant increase in publication trends of SDF-based ART studies