Endocrine Abstracts

Opioid analgesia impairs gonadal function in healthy men and women. Methadone, a synthetic opioid is used in opioid addicts to prevent relapse due its longer-lasting effects and is known to cause hypogonadism. Little data exists on the prevalence of this and the mechanism through which this occurs.Men (n=147), mean age 36.2 years (S.D 7.2) attending a drug-treatment rehabilitation centre for methadone maintenance therapy had early m...