Pituitary-gonadal response to acute I.M. stimulation with clomiphene citrate in normal men

In order to asses the effect of acute i.m. injection of clomiphene citrate (CC) on LH, FSH, and testosterone (T) secretion, five normal, fertile men received 5 mg of the drug dissolved in 2 ml 0.9% saline, while a further five were injected 10 mg of the same preparation. All tests were performed at 8 a.m. Blood samples were drawn at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes of the injection. Serum LH, FSH, and T values were determined by the double antibody radioimmunoassay technique. A significant rise of the LH, FSH, and T levels was obtained in both groups. Peak LH values were obtained at 30 minutes (average), whereas FSH and T peaks occurred at 60 minutes. The 180-minute values were similar to basal. The results seem to indicate that intramsucularly administered CC could be useful, as a rapid test, in evaluating the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.