Male infertility due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia: testicular biopsy findings, hormonal evaluation, and therapeutic results in three patients

Abstract

Testicular biopsy in three infertile male patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia showed different grades of germinal epithelium maturation, and no Leydig cells in the interstitium. In two patients with severe germinal cell hypoplasia, very low serum gonadotropins showed no response to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation and responded to long-term clomiphene citrate administration. It is hypothesized that an increase of hypothalamic estrogen production because of local androstenedione aromatization might be responsible for the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone block observed in these patients. All patients were submitted to adrenal suppressive therapy, and in two cases a return of the fertility status was obtained.