Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia [dot] org

ATTENTION MEDIA & OTHERS SEEKING INTERVIEWS!
If you represent a media company, are a student writing a report or anyone interested in interviewing our visitors, please seek permission (see email address at the bottom of the page) before posting your requests or emailing solicitations for any talk show, magazine, thesis, census or other interview on any message board on this site. If not, your posts WILL be removed. Please respect the privacy of our members.

Return to Page 22Post reply

re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Follow up to Testicular Adrenal Rest Tumor High OHP 17 Results
May. 7th, 2008 12:10pm

Hi Adam
As I understand it, infertility in men with CAH caused by TART can be reversed with treatment. I copy below an extract from the UK adult booklet on CAH written by Dr Gerard Conway of UCLH, who is an expert on the condition!
Issues for men with CAH

There are two important long term consequences of CAH which only affect men, both of which are the result of too little treatment with cortisol. These are infertility and testicular enlargement. If adrenal suppression is inadequate then the adrenal gland makes too much testosterone. High testosterone production from the adrenal gland can occur because the dose of cortisol is too low or because tablets have been missed. The testicles, which also make testosterone, then shut down as the testosterone levels are high. Unfortunately, 'shutting down' the testicles also means that sperm are not produced in normal quantities and this can cause infertility. Sperm production usually picks up if the adrenal cortisol treatment is increased allowing the testosterone production from the adrenal glands to fall, so the testicles can begin to work again. It can take several months the sperm count to rise after an increase in steroid treatment.