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Hormonal Regulation of Spermatogenesis

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Fundamentals of Male Infertility

Abstract

The hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the testes form an integrated feedback system responsible for the correct secretion of male hormone and for normal spermatogenesis. The testes require stimulation by the pituitary gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulation hormone (FSH), which are secreted in response to the pulsatile secretion of hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) [1, 2]. GnRH has a direct connection to the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, and so it stimulates FSH and LH release by a direct apocrine effect. It is only permissive and does not participate in the feedback loop.

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References

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Further Reading

  • Endo T, Freinkman E, de Rooij DG, Pafe DC (2017) Periodic production of retinoic acid by meiotic and somatic cells coordinates four transitions in mouse spermatogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E10132–E10141

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infertility Center of St. Louis, St. Luke’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Sherman Silber MD (Director, Professor of Urology)

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Sherman Silber MD (Director, Professor of Urology)

Authors
  1. Sherman Silber MD
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Silber, S. (2018). Hormonal Regulation of Spermatogenesis. In: Fundamentals of Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76523-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76523-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76522-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76523-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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