Examination of Sexual Hormone Levels of the Hypothalamus- Pituitary- Gonad Axis and the Influence of Methadone Dose in the Treatmentof Chinese Heroin Addicts

Abstract

Background: Sexual function decline in male heroin addicts during methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a problem, and the link between methadone doses and sex hormone levels in this group is unclear. This cross-sectional study explored HPG axis hormone levels and their association with methadone doses in Chinese MMT treated heroin addicts.

Methods: All participants provided blood samples. Sexual hormones, including testosterone (T), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2), were measured using radioimmunoassay (RIA). The relationship between different methadone doses ("<=30 mg/d", "31-60mg/d", and ">=61 mg/d") and sex hormones was analyzed via general linear modeling (GLM).

Results: The study included 103 male heroin addicts receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and 79 healthy male controls. No significant differences were found in the levels of all sex hormones among different methadone doses (all P>0.05). After adjusting for age and the duration of MMT, no significant associations were detected between different methadone doses and the six hormone levels.

Conclusion: No dose - response relationship was observed for the six hormone levels. The significance of considering the independence of methadone dose effects on the HPG axis hormone levels of heroin addicts in MMT should be carefully evaluated.