THE RESPONSE OF THE TESTIS OF THE HAMSTER TO CHRONIC TREATMENT WITH DIFFERENT ESTROGENS1

Abstract

Introduction THE atrophy which occurs in the testes of laboratory animals treated with estrogens has been well known for many years (Herrmann and Stein 1916, Laqueur and deJongh 1928, Golding and Ramirez 1928, Spencer, D’Amour and Gustavson 1932, Krohn and Zuckerman 1950, and others). Information on the reaction of the human testis is beginning to appear as there become available more cases of individuals with prostatic cancer and of criminal sexual offenders treated with estrogens (Dunn 1941). Morrione (1944), Bennett, Baggenstoss and Butt (1950) and others have described testicular atrophy in patients with hepatic cirrhosis of long standing, presumably from failure of the liver to inactivate circulating estrogens. Although there appears to be no need to review in detail the changes that have been described, briefly they include a progressive disappearance of spermatogenic elements beginning with the late stages of spermatogenesis. Ultimately the tubules appear to contain only Sertoli cells, scattered spermatogonia and an occasional spermatocyte.