Uterotrophic Activity in Human Ejaculate

Abstract

Uterotrophic activity of the ejaculate in groups of men having “true” Klinefelter's syndrome, bilateral cryptorchism, Sertoli-cell-only syndrome, spermiogenic arrest, or no gonadal disorder, was determined by a biological method on infantile spayed female rats by measuring the increase in uterine weight. Uterotrophic activity in these groups roughly corresponded to the equivalent of 2–5 μg of estradiol benzoate/liter of semen. A significant tendency toward a higher estrogen content in the spermatic fluid of bilateral cryptorchids was found. The ether extract from normal human ejaculates loses pronounced uterotrophic activity after estrogens are removed from it. An analysis of the presence of different cellular elements in the testicles of men suffering from the above testicular disturbances provides the basis for an assumption that the Leydig cells may be the site from which testicular estrogens originate.