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Impact of duloxetine on male fertility: A randomised controlled clinical trial
Author(s) -
Punjani Nahid,
Kang Caroline,
Flannigan Ryan,
Bach Phil,
Altemus Margaret,
Kocsis James H.,
Wu Alan,
Pierce Hudson,
Schlegel Peter N.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1111/and.14207
Subject(s) - duloxetine , dna fragmentation , placebo , medicine , endocrinology , serotonin reuptake inhibitor , semen , sperm , reuptake inhibitor , duloxetine hydrochloride , antidepressant , semen analysis , andrology , biology , infertility , pregnancy , apoptosis , pathology , biochemistry , alternative medicine , programmed cell death , hippocampus , genetics
This study assessed the impact of duloxetine (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) on semen parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation and serum hormones. We performed a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomised clinical trial of duloxetine 60mg or placebo daily for 6 weeks (5 weeks full dose and 1 week taper). The primary outcome was the proportion of men with abnormal DNA fragmentation during and after duloxetine administration. Secondary outcomes were changes in semen parameters and hormones on treatment (2 and 6 weeks) and after discontinuation (8 and 10 weeks). Sixty‐eight healthy males aged 18–65 were included. Duloxetine was not associated with an increase in the proportion of participants with abnormal sperm DNA fragmentation terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick‐end labelling scores (>25%) on treatment ( p = 0.09) or after treatment ( p = 0.56), nor did median sperm DNA fragmentation increase on treatment. Compared with placebo, there were no changes in bulk semen parameters during treatment. Limited changes in hormonal values were detected. This first published human study of a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor on male fertility revealed no clinically meaningful effects on sperm DNA fragmentation, semen parameters or serum hormones. Duloxetine, and possibly other serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, may be considered for men desiring fertility who require antidepressant treatment.