The Effects of Long Term Testosterone Administration on Pulsatile Luteinizing Hormone Secretion and on Ovarian Histology in Eugonadal Female to Male Transsexual Subjects

ABSTRACT Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) is associated with elevated serum LH and (sub)normal FSH levels, while serum androgen levels are often elevated. To clarify the role of androgens in this abnormal pattern of gonadotropin secretion, LH secretion was studied in 1) 9 eugonadal female to male transsexual subjects before and during long term (6 months) testosterone (T) administration (250 mg/2 weeks, im), and 2) in a woman with an androgen-secreting ovarian tumor both before and after surgical removal of the tumor. Finally, we studied the effects of high serum androgen levels on ovarian histology in 3) 26 transsexual subjects after long term (9–36 months) T administration (250 mg/2 weeks, im) to assess whether T-induced ovarian abnormalities are similar to those that occur in women with PCOD. Long term T treatment in the nine female to male transsexual subjects resulted in increases in the mean serum T level from 1.7 ± 0.8 (±sd) to 40.8 ± 31.9 nmol/L (P < 0.01), the mean serum dihydrotestosterone leve...