Testosterone Infertility
Testosterone seems to get blamed for everything men do wrong! It seems that not enough or an excess of testosterone could cause infertility. If testosterone amounts aren’t spot on the guy will have a hard time producing or distributing sperm.
The testes, in the scrotum, are where all the action takes place and where the testosterone is produced. The hypothalamus manufactures gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) which stimulates the pituitary to produce LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which stimulates the testes to produce testosterone, so if any one thing goes wrong with the pituitary or hypothalamus (both areas in your brain) fertility will be influenced. In puberty, it is testosterone that stimulates the secondary sexual features – all those embarrassing things like pubic hair, voice breaking and facial hair. Testosterone also keeps your libido in control.
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 might be a problem that you inherit at birth. Unfortunately, hypogonadism attacks your fertility from all sides – if you lack testosterone you can have a lack of sperm, low libido and problems achieving and keeping an erection. Ouch! You may have the same symptoms as a post-menopausal woman experiences: mood swings, hot flashes, increased body fat and reduced body hair. Get yourself checked by a doctor, as you will probably have to be sent to to a endocrinologist (hormone specialist) to get an accurate diagnosis. Typically you will be put on testosterone replacement therapy, but you could still need further help to get pregnant. Your doctor must to know that you are trying to get pregnant so that he or she can recommend the correct medication.
Believe it or not, hypergonadism, lots of testosterone, may also be a problem! It’s easier to augment the concentrations of hormones than it is to lower them, so it is harder to treat hypergonadism, although the good news is that it is much less common. Men who have hypergonadism will experience abnormal hair growth, enlarged breast tissue, increased muscle mass (the only good news), early puberty and acne.
Too much testosterone might also be a problem for the women as this is what causes PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), a common cause of female infertility. Women who have PCOS will battle to lose weight, and they might experience irregular or absent periods, excess facial hair and acne. So abnormal testosterone quantities in men or women can cause fertility difficulties. With the right levels of testosterone, infertility is less likely. Possibly the most difficult thing to manage if you suffer from hyper- or hypogonadism is your perception of yourself as a man, so don’t be reluctant to get help.
Here is more information on What is Infertility. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.
