SPERM FUNCTION IN INDONESIAN MEN TREATED WITH TESTOSTERONE ENANTHATE

This study was undertaken to assess the fertilizing capacity (sperm function) of residual spermatozoa produced by groups of men (n = 7) rendered oligozoospermic by treatment with weekly intramuscular injection of 50 or 100 mg testosterone enanthate (TE). The treatment was continued for 6 months and the effects compared with a control group (n = 6) in which men received weekly intramuscular injections of sesame oil (1 ml). Sperm function was assessed by tests of membrane integrity (supravital stain and hypoosmotic swelling [HOS] test) and sperm penetration (artificial cervical capillary tube test). The quality of sperm movement was also assessed. These parameters of sperm function were all reduced consistently in a dose-dependent manner with maximal suppression occurring between weeks 15 and 25 of treatment, and full recovery to baseline levels by 12 months after cessation of treatment. The decrease in sperm function was correlated with the degree of suppression of sperm output with the proportion of morphologically normal spermatozoa and the degree of suppression of gonadotrophin levels. The weekly dose of 50 mg TE induced severe oligozoospermia (concentration < 5 million/ml) in four of seven men, whereas 100 mg TE induced azoospermia in all seven men by week 20. It is concluded that, unlike published observations on men of European background, the administration of TE at 100 mg per week may achieve adequate contraceptive efficacy in Indonesian men.