Combined human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) treatment in gonadotropin-deficient males with pituitary dwarfism.
The effects of hCG-hMG treatment in 13 boys with pituitary dwarfism associated with gonadotropin deficiency, were assessed. No patients except one showed signs of puberty at a bone age of 13 years or above. The one patient with some signs of puberty did not become fully mature. The hCG-hMG was started at a mean age of 20.4 years. The hCG at a dose of 5,000 IU was injected intramuscularly twice a week and the hMG at a dose of 75 IU was given once a week at first. During treatment, the frequency of hMG injections was increased to twice a week in six patients who still had not produced normal sperm counts. After a mean duration of 19.23 months, spermatozoa appeared in eight patients, of whom four showed more than 20 x 10(6) sperm/ml. Among six patients who did not have normal sperm counts and had increased hMG injections, one produced a pregnancy and four achieved sperm counts of more than 35 x 10(6)/ml. One patient had refractory azoospermia. In 13 boys with growth hormone and gonadotropin deficiency, hCG-hMG treatment produced normal spermatogenesis in nine patients, one of whom fathered a girl. Thus, hCG-hMG treatment, especially twice-a-week injections of both hCG and hMG, appears to be effective for gonadotropin deficiency in males.
Tanaka
T
T
Endocrine Research Laboratory, National Children's Medical Research Center, Japan.
Hibi
I
I
Tanae
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008596:Menotropins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011627:Puberty; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013076:Sperm Count / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006062:Gonadotropins; D008596:Menotropins