Contribution of dihydrotestosterone to male sexual behaviour

BMJ. 1995 May 20;310(6990):1289-91. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6990.1289.

Abstract

Objective: To document the relative importance of endogenous sex steroids in modulating the frequency of orgasms, the dominant aspect of sexual behaviour in healthy eugonadal men.

Design: Measurement of adrenal and testicular sex steroids in a sample of army recruits and study of their relation to frequency of orgasms ascertained by questionnaire after potential confounding variables were controlled for.

Setting: Military campus and military hospital laboratories in Athens, Greece.

Subjects: 92 consecutively enrolled healthy male recruits aged 18-22 years.

Main outcome measures: Weekly number of orgasms. Serum concentrations of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, dihydrotestosterone, oestradiol, oestrone, delta-4-androstenedione, and sex hormone binding globulin.

Results: Serum dihydrotestosterone concentration was the only independent hormonal predictor of the frequency of orgasms; an increase in concentration of 1.36 nmol/l (about 2 SD) corresponded to an average increase of one orgasm a week.

Conclusions: Differences in concentrations of circulating dihydrotestosterone within the normal range may represent a major predictor of sexual activity in healthy young men.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Androstenedione / blood
  • Dihydrotestosterone / blood*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Orgasm / physiology*
  • Sexual Behavior / physiology*
  • Testosterone / blood

Substances

  • Dihydrotestosterone
  • Testosterone
  • Androstenedione