Understanding and managing the suppression of spermatogenesis caused by testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS)
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has increased over the last 20 years, coinciding with an increase in men presenting with infertility and hypogonadism. Both agents have a detrimental effect on spermatogenesis and pose a clinical challenge in the setting of hypogonadism and infertility. Adding to this challenge is the paucity of data describing recovery of spermatogenesis on stopping such agents. The unwanted systemic side effects of these agents have driven the development of novel agents such as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). Data showing natural recovery of spermatogenesis following cessation of TRT are limited to observational studies. Largely, these have shown spontaneous recovery of spermatogenesis after cessation. Contemporary literature suggests the time frame for this recovery is highly variable and dependent on several factors including baseline testicular function, duration of drug use and age at cessation. In some men, drug cessation alone may not achieve spontaneous recovery, necessitating hormonal stimulation with selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)/gonadotropin therapy or even the need for assisted reproductive techniques. However, there are limited prospective randomized data on the role of hormonal stimulation in this clinical setting. The use of hormonal stimulation with agents such as gonadotropins, SERMs, aromatase inhibitors and assisted reproductive techniques should form part of the counselling process in this cohort of hypogonadal infertile men. Moreover, counselling men regarding the detrimental effects of TRT/AAS on fertility is very important, as is the need for robust randomized studies assessing the long-term effects of novel agents such as SARMs and the true efficacy of gonadotropins in promoting recovery of spermatogenesis.
Date Issued
2022-06-26
Date Acceptance
2022-05-17
Citation
Therapeutic Advances in Urology, 2022, 14, pp.17562872221105017-17562872221105017
ISSN
1756-2872
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Start Page
17562872221105017
End Page
17562872221105017
Journal / Book Title
Therapeutic Advances in Urology
Volume
14
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission
provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)
provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)
License URL
Sponsor
National Institute for Health Research
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust- BRC Funding
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust- BRC Funding
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35783920
PII: 10.1177_17562872221105017
Grant Number
PDF-2017-10-098
RDF01
RDF01
Subjects
anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS)
dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
gonadotropins
hypogonadism
hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis
intratesticular testosterone (ITT)
luteinizing hormone (LH)
male infertility
selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs)
selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)
spermatogenesis
testosterone
testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2022-06-26