Integrity of the blood-testis barrier in healthy men after suppression of spermatogenesis with testosterone and levonorgestrel.

Study Question: Do exogenous male hormonal contraceptives that suppress intratesticular testosterone and spermatogenesis interfere with the blood-testis barrier integrity in men?

Summary Answer: When spermatogenesis was suppressed by testosterone alone or combined with levonorgestrel (LNG) treatment in men, the structural appearance of Sertoli cell tight junctions remained intact in the human testis.

What Is Already Known: Testosterone promotes the integrity of the blood-testis barrier. Intratesticular androgen deprivation induced by exogenous testosterone plus a progestin to suppress spermatogenesis in a contraceptive regimen may disturb the structural and functional integrity of the blood-testis barrier.