Efficacy of Clomiphene Citrate Versus Enclomiphene Citrate for Male Infertility Treatment: A Retrospective Study

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 7; p. e41476
• Main Authors: Thomas, Jamie, Suarez Arbelaez, Maria Camila, Narasimman, Manish, Weber, Alexander R, Blachman-Braun, Ruben, White, Joshua T, Ledesma, Braian, Ghomeshi, Armin, Jara-Palacios, Miguel A, Ramasamy, Ranjith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 06.07.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Anabolic steroids; Comparative analysis; Hormones; Hypothalamus; Infertility; Motility; Patients; Pharmacists; Sample size; Sperm; Spermatogenesis; Statistical analysis; Statistical significance; Testosterone; Therapeutics; Urology; clomiphene citrate; hypogonadism; anabolic steroid abuse; enclomiphene citrate; gonadotropins; sperm; male factor infertility
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41476

Introduction Infertility and hypogonadism in males can greatly affect their reproductive health and overall well-being. Since exogenous testosterone administration for hypogonadism management may disrupt the normal hormonal cascade necessary for spermatogenesis, clomiphene citrate (CC) and enclomiphene citrate (EC) are medications often used to manage hypogonadism and male infertility. This study aims to directly compare the effects of CC and EC on serum testosterone levels and semen parameters in men to determine which medication may have an advantage in managing these conditions. Materials and methods We retrospectively analyzed ≥18-year-old men presenting with primary infertility, abnormal semen parameters, or hypogonadism who received CC or EC monotherapy for at least three months between January 2021 and December 2022. We compared baseline and follow-up hormone levels, semen parameters, and demographics. Variables were compared using paired and unpaired t-tests. Significance was assessed at <0.05. Results A total of 46 men received EC and 32 men received CC. The median age was 42 (IQR: 34-47.75) years in men who received EC and 41 (IQR: 36-44) years in men who received CC ( =0.450). The two treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in serum total testosterone, while only EC had a statistically significant increase in FSH and LH. Semen volume and concentration did not significantly change with either treatment. Sperm motility increased in both groups, but total motile sperm count (TMSC) only significantly increased in men who received EC.  Conclusions Our study found that EC and CC are effective treatments in increasing total testosterone without negatively affecting spermatogenesis. EC demonstrated to be more effective in raising gonadotropin levels and TMSC.