Inhibitory Action of Testosterone Propionate on the Human Ovary

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions

Two women with regular menstrual cycles were injected with testosterone propionate (925 and 1,225 mg), in order to determine whether ovtilation could be inhibited. In one patient, the ovaries, examined on the 34th day of the cycle, showed no evidence of a recent corpus luteum or mature graafian follicle. In the second patient, examination of the ovaries, on the 17th day of the cycle, did not reveal any evidence of ovulation. In the latter case, while ovulation might have occurred after the 17th day, it was deemed unlikely in an individual with a regular 26 to 28 day cycle.

It appears from this study that testosterone propionate, if administered in adequate amounts to the cyclical human female, can inhibit full follicle maturation, ovulation and corpus luteum formation, associated with regressive changes in the endometrium and vaginal mucosa. The question arises as to whether the testosterone propionate acts directly upon the follicular apparatus or indirectly through inhibition of the gonadotropic activity of the pituitary. In view of the fact that testosterone has been shown to suppress the gonadotropic activity of the hypophysis in post-menopausal women^{14 15} and rats,^16-18 it is logical to conclude that the inhibitory effect of testosterone propionate upon the human ovary is mediated through the pituitary.