Role of Estimating Serum Luteinizing Hormone and Testosterone in Infertile Males

Abstract

Background: This study was aimed to determine the levels and ratios of serum LH and Testosterone, among men with history of infertility, having varying sperm counts.

Material & Methods: Two hundred fifty married men, presenting with a complaint of infertility, who had been initially evaluated for their seminal profile, and had been classified into four (04) groups, as azoospermic (50), oligozoospermic (75), asthenozoospermic (50) and normozoospermic (75) were studied for the analysis of serum LH and Testosterone levels using Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA), along with 50 proven fathers as a control group. The data was compared using student’s ‘t’ test.

Results: LH indicated inverse/negative correlation to sperm concentration, while decreased Testosterone levels were associated with depleted sperm concentration. The mean levels of LH (mIU/ml) and Testosterone (nmol/L) for the groups were 13.85±2.33 and 11.86+0.70 (Azoospermia), 10.92±3.79 and 11.88+1.06 (Oligozoospermia), 3.92±1.17 and 16.24+2.05 (Asthenozoospermia), while the levels in normozoospermic men were 7.24±1.02 and 17.29+1.02, respectively. Similarly, the LH/T and T/LH ratios were 1.17(+/-0.28) and 0.86(+/-2.70) respectively in azoospermia, 0.92(+/-0.28)and 1.08(+/-0.17) in oligozoospermia, 0.30(+/-0.10)and 4.14(+/-10.4) in asthenozoospermia 0.42(+/-0.08) and 2.34(+/-0.48) in normozoospermic men. The proven fathers group had 7.74+0.71 mIU/ml LH and 15.88+ 1.15 nmol/ml testosterone, while the ratio of LH/T and T/LH was 0.49+ 0.28 and 2.05+ 0.33, respectively.

Conclusion: The present data indicates that not only the disturbance in LH and Testosterone levels, but also disturbance in their ratios causes infertility, since these hormones act together by maintaining delicate feedback control system.