Serum and intratesticular sex steroids in azoospermic men: how do they correlate?

摘要

Five intratesticular sex steroids (testosterone,dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, estradiol andepitestosterone) along with six serum hormones (LH, FSH,prolactin, SHBG, testosterone and estradiol) were determined in84 non-obstructive azoospermic men, in order to evaluate towhat extent serum and testicular tissue as well as individualhormones in the same material mutually correlate. Withexception of androstenedione, tight correlations were foundamong tissue content of sex steroids, while only weak correlationwas recorded between serum and testicular concentrations ofmajor sex steroids testosterone and estradiol. It points toimportance of measurement of intratesticular steroids incombination with examination of sperm parameters forassessment of testicular function and spermatogenesis.