PROLACTIN AND MALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
1988 Volume 79 Issue 6 Pages 1002-1010
Details
1988 Volume 79 Issue 6 Pages 1002-1010
Hyperprolactinemia is known to decrease sexual libido or cause oligozoospermia, etc. It has been reported that sexual ability by the central mechanism is inhibited by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) and stimulated by dopamine (DA), and that secretion of prolactin (PRL) is accelerated by 5HT and that of PRL is inhibited by DA.
Thus, we determined serum PRL, FSH, LH and testosterone (T) in 955 patients with sexual dysfunction in an attempt to clarify the association of sexual dysfunction with PRL, and obtained the following results from 105 out of these patietns, whose serum DA and 5HT levels were also measured.
1. Hyperprolactinemia was found to have developed in 85 (8.9%) of the 955 patients.
2. Serum FSH, LH and T levels were all higher than normal levels in patients with hyperprolactinemia (exceeding 50nglml).
3. The serum DA level in the impotence group was significantly lower than that in the control group.
4. The serum 5HT level in the impotence group was significantly higher than that in the control group.
5. Although the serum DA level in the hyperprolactinemia group was significantly lower than that in the control group, no appreciable difference was noted between the two groups'5HT level.
