Fertility may not be a reason for men to avoid GLP-1 medications. In fact, they could see an improvement.
After 24 weeks of treatment with GLP-1s, a class of medications that treats diabetes and is prescribed widely for weight loss, men ages 18 to 65 saw improved testosterone levels, sperm count, and size and shape of sperm, said principle investigator of the study Dr. Pratibha Natesh, a consultant endocrinologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire and honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School in England.
About 15% of couples in the United States have trouble conceiving, and more than half of those couples have a male infertility problem, according to Yale Medicine. Healthcare providers define infertility as not conceiving after 12 months of regular, unprotected ***** ual intercourse.
More studies need to be done before GLP-1s are prescribed as a first-line treatment for male infertility, said Dr. Lidia Mínguez Alarcón, a Spanish reproductive epidemiologist and ***** istant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts. She was not involved in the research.
However, the results do suggest that men considering GLP-1s for weight loss or medical conditions may want to ponder possible benefits for their fertility as well, Natesh said.
After 24 weeks of treatment with GLP-1s, a class of medications that treats diabetes and is prescribed widely for weight loss, men ages 18 to 65 saw improved testosterone levels, sperm count, and size and shape of sperm, said principle investigator of the study Dr. Pratibha Natesh, a consultant endocrinologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire and honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School in England.
About 15% of couples in the United States have trouble conceiving, and more than half of those couples have a male infertility problem, according to Yale Medicine. Healthcare providers define infertility as not conceiving after 12 months of regular, unprotected ***** ual intercourse.
More studies need to be done before GLP-1s are prescribed as a first-line treatment for male infertility, said Dr. Lidia Mínguez Alarcón, a Spanish reproductive epidemiologist and ***** istant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts. She was not involved in the research.
However, the results do suggest that men considering GLP-1s for weight loss or medical conditions may want to ponder possible benefits for their fertility as well, Natesh said.
4 months ago
