Mechanism underlying transient gestational-onset hypothyroidism-induced impairment of posttesticular sperm maturation in adult rats.

Objective: To understand the mechanism underlying gestational-onset hypothyroidism-induced male infertility.

Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Setting: Research laboratory in a university department of endocrinology.

Gestational and neonatal-onset hypothyroidism alters androgen receptor status in rat prostate glands at adulthood.

Background: Infertility associated with congenital and early childhood hypothyroidism is an important reproductive health problem in men. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism underlying hypothyroidism-induced changes in the prostate gland, an androgen-dependent organ that contributes a significant portion of the seminal plasma remains obscure. The present study tested the hypothesis "transient gestational- or neonatal-onset hypothyroidism may have duration dependent and lobe specific effect on androgen receptor (AR) status in the prostate glands of adult rats.