As a society, I think we are doing better job recognizing that more and more infertility is due to sperm issues. When it comes to getting pregnant, there’s so much more to sperm quality than just “having some.”
Men can have low counts, low motility and a low number of normally shaped sperm (called morphology).
When one of my patients has any of these abnormalities, I check a male hormone panel. This includes: FSH, LH, free and total testosterone, TSH and prolactin levels. I may also recommend genetic testing: Y chromosome microdeletion, Cystic fibrosis mutation screening and a karyotype.
Depending on the hormone levels (please ask your doctor about your own special situation), I may recommend Clomid.
Yes, Clomid for men. When a man has low testosterone levels, it seems common sense that you would treat that with testosterone. Well, that is the last thing you want to do. When you give a guy testosterone it actually knocks out the sperm and doesn’t improve it.
The good news for men is that Clomid does not cause the same side effects for men as it does for women: no hot flashes, mood changes, or bloating. It can cause side effects associated with higher testosterone levels: increased libido, acne and a temper if levels get too high.
What does Androxal have to do with it? Repros Therapeutics Inc. (RPRX) announced today that it has received positive feedback from the Food and Drug Administration regarding the fertility preserving indication for its investigational drug Androxal. What is androxal? It’s clomid!
My job will be a lot easier very soon when I can say to a guy with a lower testosterone level and lower than normal sperm counts that they can take a medication called Androxal. Let me tell you, it’s not always easy to convince a guy to take Clomid when their female partners were taking it at some point.
Read more here: http://www.reprosrx.com/androxal.html
