Abstract
Although the sperm counts of 5 of 8 adult male-to-female transsexuals were low, other aspects of testicular function were normal. Plasma production rates of testosterone averaged 6.4 mg/24 hours, a value similar to the 5.7 mg/24 hours produced by heterosexual adult men. Production rates of 17β-estradiol and estrone, 55µg/24 hours and 52 µg/24 hours, were also normal. Observed abnormalities of pituitary function and pituitary response to LHRH cannot be explained by abnormal testicular steroidogenesis.
References
Baird, D. T., Horton, R., Longcope, C., and Tait, J. F. (1969). Steroid dynamics under steady-state conditions.Recent Prog. Horm. Res. 25: 611.
Block, N. L., and Tessler, A. N. (1971). Transsexualism and surgical procedures.Surg. Gynecol. Obstet. 132: 517.
Boyar, R. M., and Aiman, J. (1982). The 24-hour secretory pattern of LH and the response to LHRH in transsexual men.Arch. Sex. Behav. 11: 157.
Boyar, R., Finkelstein, J., Roffwarg, H., Kapen, S., Weitzman, E., and Hellman, L. (1972). Synchronization of augmented luteinizing hormone secretion with sleep during puberty.New Engl. J. Med. 287: 582.
Boyar, R. M., Finkelstein, J. W., David, R., Roffwarg, H., Weitzman, E., and Hellman, L. (1973). Twenty-four hour patterns of plasma luteinizing hormone and folliclestimulating hormone in sexual precocity.New Engl. J. Med. 289: 282.
Davidson, P. W. (1966). Transexualism in Klinefelter's syndrome.Psychosomatics 7: 94.
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Jr., Winokur, G., and Munoz, R. (1972). Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 26: 57.
Flatau, E., Josefsberg, Z., Prager-Lewin, R., Markman-Halabe, E., Kaufman, H., and Laron, Z. (1975). Response to LH-RH and HCG in two brothers with Reifenstein syndrome.Helv. Paediatr. Acta 30: 377.
Griffin, J. E., and Wilson, J. D. (1978). Hereditary male pseudohermaphroditism.Clin. Obstet. Gynecol. 5: 457.
Gurpide, E. (1975).Tracer Methods in Hormone Research, Monographs on Endocrinology. Springer-Verlag, New York, p. 154.
Hoaken, P. C., Clarke, M., and Breslin, M. (1964). Psychopathology in Klinefelter's syndrome.Psychosom. Med. 26: 207.
Hoenig, J., and Kenna, J. C. (1974). The prevalence of transsexualism in England and Wales.Brit. J. Psychiat. 124: 181.
Jones, J. R., and Samimy, J. (1973). Plasma testosterone levels and female transsexualism.Arch. Sex. Behav. 2: 251.
MacDonald, P. C., Grodin, J. M., Edman, C. D., Vellios, F., and Siiteri, P. K. (1976). Origin of estrogen in a postmenopausal woman with a nonendocrine tumor of the ovary and endometrial hyperplasia.Obstet. Gynecol. 47: 644.
MacDonald, P. C., Madden, J. D., Brenner, P. F., Wilson, J. D., and Siiteri, P. K. (1979). Origin of estrogen in normal men and in women with testicular feminization.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 49: 905.
Milewich, L., Gomez-Sanchez, C., MacDonald, P. C., and Sitteri, P. K. (1975). Radioimmunoassay of androstenedione: The steroid molecule as a probe of antibody specificity.J. Steroid Biochem. 6: 1381.
Miller, A., and Caplan, J. (1976). Sex-role reversal following castration of a homosexual transvestite with Klinefelter's syndrome.Can. Psychiatr. Assoc. J. 10: 223.
Naftolin, F., Ryan, K. J., Davies, I. J., Reddy, V. V., Flores, F., Petro, Z., Kuhn, M., White R. J., Takaoka, Y., and Wolin, L. (1975). The formation of estrogens by central neuro-endocrine tissues.Recent Prog. Horm. Res. 31: 295.
Oles, M. (1977). The transsexual client: A discussion of transsexualism and issues in psychotherapy.Am. J. Orthopsychiat. 47: 66.
Overzier, C. (1958). Transvestitismus und Klinefelter syndrom.Arch. Psychiat. 198: 198.
Parker, C. R., Ellegood, J. O., and Mahesh, V. B. (1975a). Comparative evaluation of antisera for 5α-dihydrotestosterone radioimmunoassay.J. Steroid Biochem. 6: 9.
Parker, C. R., Ellegood, J. O., and Mahesh, V. B. (1975b). Methods for multiple steroid radioimmunoassay.J. Steroid Biochem. 6: 1.
Person, E., and Ovesey, L. (1974). The transsexual syndrome in males: I. Primary transsexualism.Amer. J. Psychother. 28: 4.
Rodriguez-Rigau, L. J., Tcholakian, R. K., Smith, K. D., and Steinberger, E. (1977). In vitro steroid metabolic studies in human testes: I. Effects of estrogen on progesterone metabolism.Steroids 29: 771.
Root, A., DeCherney, A., Russ, D., Duckett, G., Garcia, C., and Wallach, E. (1972). Episodic secretion of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones in agonadal and hypogonadal adolescents and adults.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 35: 700.
Santen, R. J. (1975). Is aromatization of testosterone to estradiol required for inhibition of luteinizing hormone secretion in men?J. Clin. Invest. 56: 1555.
Santen, R. J., and Bardin, C. W. (1973). Episodic luteinizing hormone secretion in man.J. Clin. Invest. 52: 2617.
Schwabe, A. D., Solomon, D. H., Stoller, R. J., and Burnham, J. P. (1962). Pubertal feminization in a genetic male with testicular atrophy and normal urinary gonadotropin.J. Clin. Endocrinol. 22: 839.
Seyler, L. E., Jr., and Reichlin, S. (1973). Leuteinizing hormone-releasing factor (LRF) in plasma of postmenopausal women.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 37: 197.
Seyler, L. E., Jr., and Reichlin, S. (1974). Feedback regulation of circulating LRF concentrations in men.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 39: 906.
Siiteri, P. K. (1963). The isolation of urinary estrogens and determination of their specific activities following the administration of radioactive precursors to humans.Steroids 2: 687.
Siiteri, P. K. (1971). Qualitative and quantitative aspects of adrenal secretion of steroids. In Christy, N. P. (ed.),The Human Adrenal Cortex Harper and Row, New York, p. 1.
Siiteri, P. K., and MacDonald, P. C. (1973). Role of extraglandular estrogen in human endocrinology. In Greep, R. O., and Astwood, E. B. (eds.),Handbook of Physiology: American Physiologists Society, Washington, D.C., p. 615.
Sipova, I., and Starka, L. (1977). Plasma testosterone values in transsexual women.Arch. Sex. Behav. 6: 477.
Stewart-Bentley, M., Odell, W., and Horton, R. (1974). The feedback control of luteinizing hormone in normal adult men.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 38: 545.
Wålinder, J. (1968). Transsexualism: Definition, prevalence and sex distribution.Acta Psych. Scand. (Suppl.) 203: 255.
Walter, K., and Brautigam, W. (1958). Transvestitismus bei Klinefelter-Syndrom.Schweiz Med. Wocheschr. 88: 357.
Yet, S.S.C., Tasai, C. C., Vandenberg, G., and Rebar, R. (1972). Gonadotropin dynamics in patients with gonadal dysgenesis: A model for the study of gonadotropin regulation.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 35: 897.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported in part by USPHS Grant AM06912 and GCRC Grant 5-M01-RR-00633.
Deceased
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aiman, J., Boyar, R.M. Testicular function in transsexual men. Arch Sex Behav 11, 171–179 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541982
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541982