Endocrine Abstracts

Testosterone plays a critical role in sexual function, muscle growth and bone mineralisation, and has important behavioural effects in men. Levels of circulating testosterone decline by approximately 1% annually from the age of 40 years onwards. However some of the symptoms of low testosterone are non-specific, and may be caused by co-morbidities rather than low testosterone itself. Safety concerns have been raised regarding risks of cardiovascular events and prostatic growth ...

Testosterone plays a critical role in sexual function, muscle growth and bone mineralisation, and has important behavioural effects in men. Levels of circulating testosterone decline by approximately 1% annually from the age of 40 years onwards. However some of the symptoms of low testosterone are non-specific, and may be caused by co-morbidities rather than low testosterone itself. Safety concerns have been raised regarding risks of cardiovascular events and prostatic growth ...

Case: A 20 year old female was referred for further evaluation of ovarian function. She has a history of beta thalassemia and bone marrow transplant in 2009 at age 11. Her menarche started in 2008 and she continued having regular periods until shortly after her bone marrow transplant. She was subsequently started on Loestrin oral contraceptive pill. Examination showed a height of 164 cm and weight of 57 kg. She had well developed secondary sexual characteristics. Her OCPs was ...

Case: A 34 year old was reviewed in reproductive clinic for gonadotropins therapy prior to micro-TESE. He was diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome in his 20s in another hospital. Testosterone replacement was initiated with Nebido injection. However, he developed polycythemia, DVT and PE in 2013 and therefore the testosterone replacement was stopped. He had thrombophilia screen that showed heterozygous prothrombin gene mutation. Thereafter, he received anticoagulation for few mo...

Background: Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) is one of the few treatable causes of male infertility; spermatogenesis induction can be achieved with gonadotrophins or pulsatile GnRH. Treatment protocols are normally long, and outcome varies according to the underlying aetiology, age of onset and history of undescended testes. Regular follow-ups are needed to assess the response and monitor for adverse effects of therapy that could make the management challenging.<p class=...

Background: Hypercalcaemia is defined as an elevated serum calcium level above 2.6 mmol/l and occurs in 1 in 1000 of the population. It commonly results from primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) which is usually treated with parathyroidectomy. A less common cause of hypercalcaemia is familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia (FHH) which is caused by mutations inactivating the calcium-sensing receptor; however FHH is relatively benign and requires no treatment. It is clearly important...

Androgen therapy is the mainstay of treatment in female to male (FtM) transgender persons to increase testosterone levels, suppress oestrogens and treat gender dysphoria. Testosterone is widely used for male hypogonadism, but is comparatively under-investigated in FtM transgender persons. The aim of our study was to identify treatment and safety outcomes associated with testosterone use in transgender medicine. A literature search was conducted in PubMed/Medline, as well as EM...

Background: Hypogonadism is estimated to account for over 10% of male-factor infertility. However, due to conflicting data regarding the relationship between testosterone levels and sperm quality, hormone evaluation is not consistently requested during initial assessment of the infertile male. Hypogonadism is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and has been linked to an increased risk of mortality The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hypogonadism...

Introduction: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) are exogenous substances altering function(s) of the endocrine system. EDCs have been implicated in the decline in male reproductive health. We aimed to systematically review the pathophysiological effects of EDCs on male reproductive health.Methods: Searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE and PubMed were conducted using the following terms: ‘endocrine disrupt*’ OR ‘endocrine disruptors’ OR &#145...

Background: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of primary male infertility. Some studies suggest that administration of the amino acid derivative anti-oxidant, L-carnitine, may improve sperm quality. No previous study has investigated whether the anti-oxidant effects of L-carnitine relate to changes in sperm quality in men with infertility.Aim: Investigate whether L-carnetine significantly improves sperm function, and whether baseline lev...