Endocrine effects of testosterone undecanoate as a supplementary treatment to menopausal gonadotropins or tamoxifen citrate in idiopathic oligozoospermia.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of T undecanoate given as a supplementary treatment with tamoxifen citrate (TAM) or hMG on pituitary and Leydig cell function in men with idiopathic oligozoospermia.

DESIGN

A total of 48 normogonadotropic men with idiopathic oligozoospermia were allocated in to six groups (n = 8 per group) treated with placebo, 40 mg T undecanoate three times per day, 10 mg TAM two times per day, T undecanoate and TAM, 75 IU/d hMG, and T undecanoate and hMG. All groups were evaluated with standard GnRH, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and hCG tests before and on the final day of 3 months on treatment with measurements of FSH, LH, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), PRL, T, E2, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and seminal analyses (at least twice each time).

RESULTS

Basal and stimulated concentrations and incremental FSH and LH values showed no differences among TAM or hMG and TAM + T undecanoate or hMG + T undecanoate treated groups. Basal, stimulated, and incremental values for TSH and PRL were elevated markedly during treatment in most groups in comparison to placebo. Basal, stimulated, and incremental T and E2 values were similar in active treatment groups except that higher T concentration was found in TAM + T undecanoate as compared with T undecanoate only treated men. Finally, significant improvements were noted in important seminal parameters and particularly in the functional sperm fraction of the TAM + T undecanoate group as compared with single treatment with TAM.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that T undecanoate in combination with TAM or hMG not only had no adverse effects on pituitary and Leydig cell activity but also seemed to improve important seminal parameters and signify that androgens may be tried as a supplementary treatment to conventional regimes in idiopathic oligozoospermia.