Impact of androgens on fertility – physiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects

Ovarian androgen synthesis and regulation are essential to ensure adequate steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis. In primates, there is evidence for a direct impact on the number of small antral follicles and on the process of chronic anovulation. Therefore, serum androgen should be more carefully as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reproductive biomedicine online 2005-11, Vol.11 (5), p.570-580
Main Authors: Hugues, J-N, Durnerin, I Cédrin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
androgen
androgen deficiency
Androgens - blood
Androgens - physiology
Androgens - therapeutic use
Cells, Cultured
Female
folliculogenesis
Gene Expression Regulation
Humans
Hyperandrogenism - therapy
Infertility, Female - diagnosis
Infertility, Female - drug therapy
Infertility, Female - metabolism
Ovarian Follicle - growth & development
Ovary - metabolism
PCOS
steroidogenesis
Steroids - biosynthesis
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Summary:Ovarian androgen synthesis and regulation are essential to ensure adequate steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis. In primates, there is evidence for a direct impact on the number of small antral follicles and on the process of chronic anovulation. Therefore, serum androgen should be more carefully assessed in infertile women. Accurate measurements of serum androgen are required to better identify patients with androgen excess or deficiency. Medical or surgical interventions are able to decrease ovarian androgen excess and to reduce the risk of hyperstimulation. Conversely, androgen supplementation should be considered in women at risk of low ovarian response to gonadotrophins, related to androgen deficiency. This review supports a specific and broad role of androgen in reproductive physiology.
ISSN:1472-6483
1472-6491
DOI:10.1016/S1472-6483(10)61165-0