Part of “CHAPTER 114 – EVALUATION OF TESTICULAR FUNCTION“

Patients with impaired testicular function present variably, depending on the age at onset of their disease. Hypogonadism in the fetus results in genital ambiguity (see Chap. 90). When the disturbance begins in childhood, puberty is delayed or does not occur (see Chap. 92). Adult men with hypogonadism often present with a decrease in libido and energy, or with infertility, among other symptoms (Table 114-1), and although these symptoms are sensitive indicators of androgen deficiency, they are nonspecific. For example, a reduced libido in men is also a characteristic of depression as well as of performance anxiety.