Weekly Testosterone Injections Suppress Sperm Production, May Provide Effective Contraception

Abstract

A study conducted by the WHO among fertile men aged 21-45 years recruited from study centers around the world suggested that weekly injections of testosterone enanthate suppress sperm production and may provide effective contraception. More specifically weekly testosterone injections were proven to provide contraceptive efficacy at a rate comparable to that of female injectable contraceptives and better than that of the IUD the pill or the condom. The study also showed that recovery from sperm suppression was easily achieved and that side effects were minimal. However high rates of discontinuation have been observed mostly due to the inability of the treatment to completely suppress sperm production. Another negative aspect of the method is the frequency of the injections which would be inconvenient for the general population and would create difficulties in dispensing the method. Overall it is emphasized that the aim of the study has been to determine if the laboratory diagnosis of azoospermia corresponded to high contraceptive efficacy not to promote testosterone enanthate as hormonal method.