PSA tests could be used to screen for hypogonadism in men with sexual dysfunction, Italian researchers report in a recent Journal of Sexual Medicine study. 

Their study examined the relationship between PSA levels and testosterone.

The participants included almost three thousand men who were seeking treatment for sexual problems. Their mean age was 52.5 and their PSA levels were less than 4 ng/mL.

The researchers took various measurements, including total testosterone, testis volume, and waist circumference. They also assessed erectile function and hypogonadism using the Structured Interview on Erectile Dysfunction (SIEDY), ANDROTEST, and PsychoANDROTEST.

They found that lower PSA levels were associated with delayed puberty, lower testis volume, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions can all signal hypogonadism.

However, the researchers noted that the relationship between PSA and testosterone became less distinct when men's testosterone levels were above 8 nmol/L.

Also, using PSA levels to predict hypogonadism appeared to be more reliable in younger patients.

Please click here to learn more about this study.

In our latest Member Profile, the ISSM is pleased to introduce you to Dr. Annamaria Giraldi of Copenhagen, Denmark.  Dr. Giraldi currently works as a full-time consultant at the Clinic of Sexology in that city.

Dr. Giraldi earned her MD and PhD at the University of Copenhagen and became certified as a sexual counselor in 2007.  She is trained as a cognitive therapist and a group therapist.

"In my daily clinical practice, I work on sexual dysfunction in men and women as well as with transsexuals who want to undergo gender reassignment and sexual offenders." she wrote.

Dr. Giraldi has been an ISSM member since 1988 and has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine ever since it was established.

"I have never regretted choosing sexual medicine," she wrote. "It is important for the patient's life and you can integrate so many aspects in your daily clinical practice - every day brings new, interesting cases and you never get bored."

Please click here to learn more about Dr. Giraldi.