ABSTRACT Maternal nutrition during gestation critically influences foetal reproductive programming. To clarify inconsistent evidence, a meta‐analysis was performed to assess the effect of maternal nutritional restriction on the number of Sertoli cells in ovine offspring. A systematic review in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Science Direct identified three studies (four comparisons; n = 52). Standardised mean differences (Hedges' g ) were calculated using a random‐effects model. The pooled effect was significant ( g = −0.95, 95% CI: −1.49 to −0.41; p < 0.001), with no heterogeneity ( I 2 = 0%) or publication bias (Egger's test p = 0.616). In conclusion, maternal undernutrition reduces Sertoli cell numbers by approximately one standard deviation.
Espinosa‐Martínez et al. (Sun,) studied this question.