Epilepsy and AEDs May Affect Men's Fertility
(Reuters)
It has long been established that men with epilepsy often have fertility problems which may be enhanced by the use of anti-convulsants (AEDS). However, recent studies at the University of Oulu in Finland and the University of Bonn in Germany attempted to determine which effects were due to the epilepsy and which to the drugs.
They studied 200 men with seizures who were treated with only a single medication, and compared these to "control" subjects.
While total testosterone levels did not seem to vary significantly, free testosterone levels were found to be higher in the control subjects. Additionally, men with temporal lobe epilepsy had lower levels of both hormone types than men with other forms of the disorder.
Researchers also found that carbamazepine was linked to lower levels of testosterone than valproate. Their report stated, "carbamazepine may therefore have the potential to aggravate the negative effects of temporal lobe epilepsy on testicular testosterone production."
Abnormal sperm was found more often in men with epilepsy. "Carbamazepine or partial epilepsy," they report, "may affect sperm concentration, morphology, and motility."
While this may all sound like bad news Dr. John Gates of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis affirmed that "these two studies give us a strategic direction for further research in the area of sexual function in men with epilepsy."
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