{"doi":"10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.11.037","title":"Evolution of the WHO “Semen” processing manual from the first (1980) to the sixth edition (2021)","abstract":"As stated clearly in all editions of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, the goal of the manual is to meet the growing needs for the standardization of semen analysis procedures. With constant advances in andrology and reproductive medicine and the advent of sophisticated assisted reproductive technologies for the treatment of infertility, the manual has been continuously updated to meet the need for new, evidence-based, validated tests to not only measure semen and sperm variables but also to provide a functional assessment of spermatozoa. The sixth edition of the WHO manual, launched in 2021, can be freely downloaded from the WHO website, with the hope of gaining wide acceptance and utilization as the essential source of the latest, evidence-based information for laboratory procedures required for the assessment of male reproductive function and health. As stated clearly in all editions of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, the goal of the manual is to meet the growing needs for the standardization of semen analysis procedures. With constant advances in andrology and reproductive medicine and the advent of sophisticated assisted reproductive technologies for the treatment of infertility, the manual has been continuously updated to meet the need for new, evidence-based, validated tests to not only measure semen and sperm variables but also to provide a functional assessment of spermatozoa. The sixth edition of the WHO manual, launched in 2021, can be freely downloaded from the WHO website, with the hope of gaining wide acceptance and utilization as the essential source of the latest, evidence-based information for laboratory procedures required for the assessment of male reproductive function and health. DIALOG: You can discuss this article with its authors and other readers at https://www.fertstertdialog.com/posts/34279 DIALOG: You can discuss this article with its authors and other readers at https://www.fertstertdialog.com/posts/34279 The World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen was first published in 1980 to standardize the procedures for the examination of human semen. This WHO “semen” manual has undergone five revisions (Fig. 1) and has been translated into multiple languages in response to the growing global needs in andrology and reproductive medicine and to standardize procedures for the examination of human semen. The WHO manual provides standard laboratory methods for semen analysis that are used extensively by clinical and reference laboratories for the understanding of reproductive function in men, the diagnosis and planning of treatment for subfertile couples, assessment of male contraceptive methods, and large-scale population studies and research activities, such as the effects of viral, environmental, and other toxicants on male reproductive function. The development of each edition of the manual was coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Children's Fund/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) within the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, which worked with the respective Task Forces or later, Research Group for the Regulation of Male Fertility. The latter, including the editorial board, was drawn from global experts working in male reproductive function. HRP has played very vital roles in convening the development of the manual, including overall coordination, technical input, supporting evidence generation, document production, dissemination, and promotion, ensuring continuity across editions, and providing necessary financial support. Between 1976 and 1977, the WHO Task Force on Methods for the Regulation of Male Fertility (led by C.A. Paulsen, M.D., University of Washington, Seattle, and M.R.R. Prasad, Ph.D., Manager of t","journal":"Fertility and Sterility","year":2022,"id":296330,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":90,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9096,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2022-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":717175,"name":"Michael T. 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