The Effect of Opium on Serum Lh, Fsh and Testosterone Concentration in Addicted Men

Background: fertility is considered as a life conservative phenomenon among marriedcouples which can be obliterated by various conditions affecting both males and females. inthe other hand addiction is a problem which increasingly developed among the variouspopulations throughout the world, and there are evidences that addiction may affect thehypothalamous-pituitary-gonadal axis and sexual functions.the precise pharmacologicaleffects of chronic use of opium on serum level of gonadotropins and male sex hormones arenot studied extensively. this study was conducted to investigate the changes in theseparameters in opium addicted men.materials and methods: the blood samples from 46 opium addicts and 46 normal men weretaken, and the testosterone, lh and fsh levels in serum were measured byradioimmunoassay (ria) technique using a lkb gamma counter.results: the result of this study showed that the serum testosterone in opium addicts weredecreased significantly compared to the controls (p