Testosterone Infertility

Testosterone seems to be blamed for everything guys do wrong! But, if you (the guy) have too much or a lack of testosterone, infertility is a possibility. This is because testosterone has a crucial part to play in the making and delivery of sperm.

So this is how it works: testosterone is made in the testes, in the scrotum. Two hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) stimulate the making of testosterone. Thus, if there is a problem with the pituitary gland, which makes FSH and LH, or the hypothalamus, which releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) which stimulates the pituitary to manufacture LH and FSH, then testosterone manufacture will also be affected. Phew! In puberty, it is testosterone that stimulates the secondary sexual characteristics – all those embarrassing things like voice breaking. Testosterone also keeps your sex drive in order.

Hypogonadism is a condition where you are deficient in testosterone. As I said before, problems with the hypothalamus, pituitary gland or testes can reduce your testosterone production or it can be a problem that you inherit at birth. Sorry to say, hypogonadism attacks your fertility from all sides – if you lack testosterone you might have a lack of sperm, decreased libido and problems achieving and keeping an erection. Ouch! Other symptoms of hypogonadism include hot flashes, enlarged breast tissue, less facial and body hair, an increase in body fat and mood swings. Make sure you are seen to by a doctor, as you will probably have to be referred to a hormone specialist (endocrinologist) to get a definite diagnosis. You can treat the symptoms by supplementing the testosterone in your system with medication, but you’ll need to take extra measures to augment your fertility. Your doctor must to be aware that you are trying to get pregnant so that he or she can administer the appropriate medication.

You probably didn’t realize that lots of testosterone can be a problem, but hypergonadism can also bring about infertility. It’s easier to augment the concentrations of hormones than it is to reduce them, so it is harder to treat hypergonadism, although the good news is that it is much rarer. Men who have hypergonadism will experience increased muscle mass (the only good news), early puberty, enlarged breast tissue, acne and abnormal hair growth.

Lots of testosterone can also be a problem for the women as it can cause PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), a common factor in female infertility. Women with PCOS will struggle to lose weight, and they could experience irregular or absent periods, excess facial hair and acne. So, clearly, testosterone is very important for all aspects of reproduction and not enough of it in men, and an excess of it in men or women could cause infertility. With the correct levels of testosterone, infertility is unlikely. Testosterone infertility is rather straightforward to treat, although you could also require counseling to help deal with the mental aspects of hyper- or hypogonadism as these may impact your perception of your manliness.

Here is more information on What is Infertility. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.