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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

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Published on: October 2, 2018
Oral androstenedione-induced impotence and severe oligospermia
Robert H Ritter1, Anthony K Cryar, Michael R Hermans
1Division of Urology, Scott and White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, Scott, Sherwood & Brindley Foundation, The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple, Texas, USA.
Objective:
To report a case of androstenedione (A)-induced impotence and severe oligospermia.
Design:
Case report.
Setting:
Multispecialty tertiary referral center.
Patient(S):
A 29-year-old married male recreational bodybuilder using the legal dietary supplement A in an attempt to enhance athletic performance.
Intervention(S):
Immediate cessation of oral A, Depo-T regimen with a taper, administered during 3 months, to alleviate loss of libido and impotence.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Resolution of symptoms and normalization of semen parameters.
Result(S):
Resolution of symptoms and normalization of semen parameters at 6 months, and successful intrauterine pregnancy achieved 1 year after initial presentation.
Conclusion(S):
Oral A has a previously unrecognized side effect, which is the potential to suppress the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis.
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