Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in apubertal males is commonly due to constitutional delay; permanent gonadotropin deficiency becomes more likely with older age at presentation, cryptorchidism and non-reproductive defect, e.g. anosmia. All forms of testosterone induce pubertal development, though short-acting IM preparations are associated with extraphysiological excursions of serum testosterone and are increasingly unavailable. Long-acting testosterone undecanoate I...

Background: Guidance on pubertal-induction in hypogonadal adult men is sparse. For adolescent boys, in whom delay is usually constitutional, treatment is typically initiated with pulsed low-dose IM testosterone (T); the dose being progressively increased if/when it becomes clear that endogenous gonadotrophin secretion is not being initiated. In teenagers with organic hypogonadism, the aims are to recapitulate the normal tempo of puberty over 2–3 years and optimise linear ...

Conventional intramuscular preparations of testosterone esters are associated with wide fluctuations in serum testosterone (T) levels following administration, even when a lower dose (100 mg) is injected every 7–10 days, let alone 250 mg every 2–3 weeks. Depot Testosterone undecanoate [TU -Nebido] is a newly available option for androgen replacement. The possibility of achieving stable therapeutic serum T levels over a period of months is its principal attraction. Da...