Testosterone Infertility
It seems that you can blame all the ‘blunders’ of the male race on testosterone. It seems that not enough or an overabundance of testosterone can cause infertility. This is due to the fact that testosterone has a very important part to play in the making and distribution of sperm.
To give you an idea: testosterone is made in the testes, in the scrotum. Two hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) promote the production of testosterone. Thus, if there is a problem with the pituitary gland, which makes FSH and LH, or the hypothalamus, which distributes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) which stimulates the pituitary to produce LH and FSH, then testosterone production will also be impacted. Phew! In puberty, it is testosterone that stimulates the visible sexual characteristics – all those awkward things like facial hair and pubic hair. It is also responsible for regulating the sex drive.
Hypogonadism is a condition where you have a lack of testosterone. You might be born with a problem or it can happen at any time, and it can be caused by a problem with the pituitary gland, the testes or the hypothalamus amongst other things. Unfortunately, hypogonadism attacks your fertility from all sides – without enough you might have few sperm, decreased libido and problems achieving and maintaining an erection. Ouch! Other indicators of hypogonadism include hot flashes, enlarged breast tissue, less facial and body hair, an increase in body fat and mood swings. Generally an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) is the only one who will be able to give you an accurate diagnosis. Typically you will be given testosterone replacement therapy, but you might still require additional help to have a baby. Make sure your doctor knows that you want to have a baby as this may influence your treatment.
Believe it or not, hypergonadism, too much testosterone, may also cause problems! This is a lot rarer than hypogonadism and more tricky to treat. Men who have hypergonadism will experience abnormal hair growth, enlarged breast tissue, increased muscle mass (the only good news), early puberty and acne.
Testosterone infertility is a problem not only for men as women who have an excess of testosterone may have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), a widespread cause of infertility. Women with PCOS will struggle to lose fat, and they might experience acne, irregular or absent periods and excess facial hair. So, clearly, testosterone is essential for all areas of reproduction and not enough of it in men, and lots of it in men or women might bring about infertility. With the correct levels of testosterone, infertility is unlikely. Perhaps the most difficult thing to handle if you suffer from hyper- or hypogonadism is your assessment 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.
