Salivary testosterone concentrations in pubertal ICSI boys compared with spontaneously conceived boys

BACKGROUND: To date, no data exist about Leydig cell function of pubertal boys born after ICSI. To evaluate a potential risk of gonadal dysfunction in children born from fathers with compromised fertility, testicular function was assessed by the measurement of salivary testosterone. METHODS: Morning salivary testosterone levels at the age of 14 years were compared between 58 ICSI teenagers who are part of the oldest ICSI cohort, and 62 boys born after spontaneous conception (SC). RESULTS: Salivary testosterone levels were comparable between ICSI (113 +/- 42 pg/ml) and SC (123 +/- 56 pg/ml) teenagers at the age of 14 years. In the ICSI group, testosterone levels in boys from fathers with severe oligozoospermia were not different from concentrations in boys from fathers without severe oligozoospermia (115.5 +/- 43 and 109 +/- 41 pg/ml, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: At the age of 14 years, pubertal ICSI boys show testosterone levels comparable to their peers born after SC. ICSI adolescents fathered from men with severely compromised spermatogenesis show testosterone levels comparable to those from fathers with normal spermatogenesis. This notwithstanding, further follow- up of ICSI teenagers into adulthood is mandatory to confirm a normal gonadal function.