{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,28]],"date-time":"2026-10-28T03:46:31Z","timestamp":1793159191705,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,15]],"date-time":"2023-12-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1702598400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":14,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100018645","name":"MRC","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100018645","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"NIHR","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme"},{"name":"NIHR\/Imperial Clinical Research Facility"},{"name":"NIHR Research Professorship"},{"name":"NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Symptomatic hypogonadism discourages men from stopping anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Some men illicitly take drugs temporarily stimulating endogenous testosterone following AAS cessation (post-cycle therapy; PCT) to lessen hypogonadal symptoms. We investigated whether prior PCT use was associated with the normalization of reproductive hormones following AAS cessation.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Retrospective analysis of 641 men attending a clinic between 2015-2022 for a single, nonfasting, random blood test &amp;lt;36 months following AAS cessation, with or without PCT. Normalized reproductive hormones (ie, a combination of reference range serum luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and total testosterone levels) were the surrogate marker of biochemical recovery.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Normalization of reproductive hormones was achieved in 48.2% of men. PCT use was associated with faster biochemical recovery (13.0 (IQR8.0-19.0) weeks, PCT; 26.0 (IQR10.5-52) weeks, no-PCT; P &amp;lt; .001). Odds of biochemical recovery during multivariable analysis were: (1) higher with PCT (OR3.80) vs no-PCT (P = .001), in men stopping AAS \u22643 months previously; (2) reduced when 2 (OR0.55), 3 (OR0.46), or 4 (OR0.25) AAS were administered vs 1 drug (P = .009); (3) lower with AAS &amp;gt;6 vs \u22643 months previously (OR0.34, P = .01); (4) higher with last reported AAS &amp;gt;3 months (OR 5.68) vs \u22643 months (P = .001). PCT use was not associated with biochemical recovery in men stopping AAS &amp;gt;3 months previously.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Without evidence-based withdrawal protocols, men commonly try avoiding post-AAS hypogonadism with PCT, which is illicit, ill-defined, and not recommended. Only half of men had complete biochemical testicular recovery after stopping AAS. The surprising association of self-reported PCT use with short-term biochemical recovery from AAS-induced hypogonadism warrants further investigation.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ejendo\/lvad164","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,16]],"date-time":"2023-12-16T03:24:12Z","timestamp":1702697052000},"page":"601-610","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Factors predicting normalization of reproductive hormones after cessation of anabolic-androgenic steroids in men: a single center retrospective study"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"189","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1121-9211","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bonnie","family":"Grant","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital , Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN , United 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Bucks HP7 9EN , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2795-5256","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali","family":"Abbara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital , Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Priyadarshi","family":"Saket","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Glasgow Alcohol & Drug Recovery Services, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde , Glasgow G5 8BG , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sukhbinder","family":"Minhas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Charing Cross Hospital , Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Waljit S","family":"Dhillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital , Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James","family":"McVeigh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University , 4 Rosamund Street West, Manchester M15 6LL , United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3982-6200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shalender","family":"Bhasin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brigham and Women's Hospital , Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 , United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2578-8223","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Channa 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