Safety and tolerability of one-year intramuscular testosterone regime to induce puberty in older men with CHH

Abstract

We present herein our 20-year experience of pubertal induction in apubertal older (median age 56 years; range 38.4–69.5) men with congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (n = 7) using a simple fixed-dose and fixed-interval intramuscular testosterone that we originally pioneered in relation to achieving virilisation of natal female transgender men. This regime was effective and well tolerated, resulting in complete virilisation by around 1 year after treatment initiation. No physical or psychological adverse effects were encountered in this group of potentially vulnerable individuals. There were no abnormal excursions of laboratory parameters and extended follow-up beyond the first year of treatment revealed remarkable improvements in bone density. We highlight advantages to both patients and physicians of this regime in testosterone-naïve older men with congenital hypogonadism and discourage the over-rigid application to such patients of treatment algorithms derived from paediatric practice in relation to the evaluation and management in younger teenagers with delayed puberty of uncertain cause.

Keywords

• absent puberty
• intramuscular testosterone
• congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
• older men
• Kallmann’s syndrome