children s health issues
Male Hypogonadism in Children
Introduction
Hypogonadism is decreased production oftestosterone, sperm, or both in males. Hypogonadism occurs when there is a problem in the testes or a problem in the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus (which signal the testes to producetestosteroneand sperm). Symptoms vary depending at which age thetestosteronedeficiency begins. The diagnosis is based on an examination, blood tests, and sometimes an analysis of the chromosomes. Treatment depends on the cause but may include hormone therapy. The Overview of the Pituitary Gland secretes the hormones follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, which are called gonadotropins. These gonadotropins stimulate the male sex organs to produce the male sex hormone Hypogonadism can occur while a fetus is developing in the womb or can occur during early or later childhood. There aretwo basic typesof hypogonadism: Primary hypogonadism: The testes are underactive and do not produce enoughtestosterone. Secondary hypogonadism: The hypothalamus or pituitary gland does not secrete the hormones that stimulate the testes. 