Prostaglandin concentrations in the semen of hypogonadal men during treatment with testosterone

Abstract

M.R.C. Unit of Reproductive Biology, 2 Forrest Road, Edinburgh EH1 2QW, U.K. and *The Fertility Clinic, University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark Although it has been known for more than 40 years that human semen contains prostaglandins, only recently have 19-hydroxyprostaglandin E-1 and E-2 (19-OH PGEs) been identified as the major prostaglandins in the semen of normal, fertile men (Taylor & Kelly, 1974; Jonsson, Middleditch & Desiderio, 1975). Nothing is known about the control of synthesis and release of these compounds, although there is evidence that the smooth muscle-stimulating activity of human semen, which is attributed to prostaglandins, is androgen dependent (Sturde, 1968). To investigate the role of androgens in the production of 19-OH PGEs, we have measured prostaglandin concentrations in repeated semen samples from two hypogonadal men before and during treatment with testosterone. Patient 1 was unmarried, aged 26 years; he suffered from a lack of