Changes in the endocrinological milieu after clomiphene citrate treatment for oligozoospermia: the clinical significance of the estradiol/testosterone ratio as a prognostic value.

We have already reported that the rate of increase in the estradiol/testosterone ratio (E2/T ratio) following human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection has prognostic value in the treatment of oligozoospermia. It was found that the rate of increase in the E2/T ratio was statistically greater in the therapeutically ineffective cases compared to the therapeutically effective cases. The present study was planned in order to elucidate the relationship between the changes in the endocrinological milieu, especially the change in the E2/T ratio, and the therapeutic efficacy when clomiphene citrate was administered. Thirty-eight oligozoospermic patients were administered 25 mg of clomiphene citrate daily for 3 months. Sixteen of the 38 (42.1%) cases showed improvement of more than 10 x 10(6)/ml in sperm concentration. The rate of increase in the E2/T ratio of the effective cases (0.90 +/- 0.43) during the administration of clomiphene citrate was statistically (P = 0.02) lower than that of the ineffective cases (1.44 +/- 0.80). The rate of increase in the E2/T ratio during clomiphene citrate treatment showed a statistically positive correlation (r = 0.542) with the rate of increase following hCG injection performed before clomiphene citrate treatment. The rate of increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the ineffective cases (2.16 +/- 1.01) was statistically higher than in the effective cases (1.50 +/- 0.43).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)