Human chorionic gonadotropin treatment: a viable option for management of secondary hypogonadism and male infertility.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review and expert opinion without systematic methodology or quantitative synthesis
PubMed 33345656 · doi:10.1080/17446651.2021.1863783
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative literature review searching Google Scholar from 1977 to 2020 to summarize research on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for secondary hypogonadism and male infertility, comparing its clinical trade-offs with standard testosterone replacement therapy.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, pooled effect sizes, or numerical outcomes. It describes qualitatively that hCG mimics luteinizing hormone to stimulate endogenous testosterone and sperm production, thereby avoiding the suppression of spermatogenesis typically caused by exogenous testosterone therapy.
Why it matters
Exogenous testosterone replacement therapy impairs male fertility, presenting a clinical challenge for younger or reproductive-age men with low testosterone. hCG offers a mechanistic alternative that restores androgen levels while maintaining reproductive capacity.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review providing expert opinion without structured study quality appraisal or quantitative data synthesis. The abstract provides no specific dosages, patient counts, clinical response rates, or adverse event frequencies.
Cited by
- supports Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is commonly prescribed to restore fertility in men and is mostly given during IVF cycles in women.