Hormonal Treatment of Male Infertility: Promises and Pitfalls

Abstract

Approximately 50% of infertility issues are attributable to male factors. A number of different factors may result in similar reductions of sperm count or motility and affect sperm morphology. Not only is the etiology of male infertility difficult to understand, but it is equally challenging to treat male infertility because of its etiological heterogeneity. Because of complex and incomplete knowledge of the underlying causes, most infertile men are described as idiopathically oligozoospermic and/or asthenozoospermic. Different hormonal treatments have been attempted, aiming to improve mainly endogenous follicle-stimulating hormone and/or androgen levels and subsequent spermatogenesis. Various studies have tried to treat infertility through natural pregnancies or increased sperm retrieval for in vitro fertilization techniques, or by treating spermatozoa in vitro to improve its fertilizing potential. The present review focuses on all of the aspects of male infertility treatment by hormone supplementation.

Protective effects of <i>Lycium barbarum</i> polysaccharide on male sexual dysfunction and fertility impairments by activating hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis in streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetic male mice

“…The hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis plays an important role in regulation of the different stages of reproductive activities such as sexual differentiation, sexual maturity, reproductive and sexual behavior, etc [34,48]. Earlier observations similarly suggested that diabetes in humans leads to significant alteration in endocrine regulation and impairment, which indicates that diabetes has the potential to derange the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis [16,25,26,47].…”

Gonadotropin and Testosterone hormone’s serum levels and partial deletions in the AZFc region in Iranian oligozoospermia infertile males

“…Hormonal assay of the FSH, LH and testosterone is useful in the management of the male infertility, and for initiation of spermatogenesis and maturation of spermatozoa [3,15]. In the oligozoospermic men higher concentration of FSH is considered to be a reliable indicator of germinal epithelial damage or primary testicular failure [7,8].…”

“…Germ cell development is dependent on the balanced endocrine interplay of the hypothalamus, the failure of pituitary to secret FSH and LH will result in disruption of testicular function leading to infertility [1][2][3]. In addition, Yq, long arm of Y chromosome, contains at least one gene that is responsible for spermatogenesis [4].…”

In Vitro studies on changes in selected biochemical parameters and morphology of Sertoli cells in mice overexpressing bovine growth hormone

“…Many andrological studies claimed that GH exerts its effects either directly and/or indirectly in the regulation of spermatogenesis. Firstly, direct effects are believed to be through GH receptors localized on hypothalamus and gonads (2), thereby Sertoli cell functions and secondly, indirect effects contribute to the GH coordination of hormones of hypothalamo-pituitary-testicular axis such as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leutinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone to influence testicular functions (3). Thus, it seems apparent that GH at least in part targets spermatogenesis.…”