Sex and Alcohol

Abstract

For years, the testicular atrophy, gynecomastia, changes in body hair, and vascular abnormalities observed in male alcoholics with Laennec's cirrhosis have been attributed to metabolic imbalance secondary to liver disease.¹ This is hardly surprising, since feminization develops in association with various forms of cirrhosis produced by unrelated etiologic agents, with only the factor of advanced liver disease in common.² Moreover, the liver normally has a central role in estrogen metabolism by converting androgens to estrogens, interconverting weak and potent estrogens, performing estrogen conjugation and detoxification, and excreting sex steroids in bile.^{3 4 5 6 7} Changes in sex-steroid metabolism might therefore be expected with . . .