The Claim

In healthy men, daily oral desogestrel combined with testosterone pellets for 8 weeks is associated with suppression of seminal plasma inhibin B to undetectable levels in all participants receiving 300 micrograms daily, while plasma inhibin B showed only minor changes.

Source: Dose-finding study of oral desogestrel with testosterone pellets for suppression of the pituitary-testicular axis in normal men.

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
32score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Correlation
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In healthy men taking 300 micrograms of daily oral desogestrel with testosterone pellets for 8 weeks, seminal plasma inhibin B becomes undetectable, while inhibin B levels in the blood remain largely unchanged.

See the scientific wording

In healthy men, daily oral desogestrel combined with testosterone pellets for 8 weeks is associated with suppression of seminal plasma inhibin B to undetectable levels in all participants receiving 300 micrograms daily, while plasma inhibin B showed only minor changes.

Why this might work

A synthetic hormone stops the brain from signaling the testes to produce sperm, causing the cells that support sperm development to shut down their activity. This stops the production of a protein called inhibin B inside the testes, so it disappears from semen, but the level of this protein in the blood barely changes because it is made locally and not released into circulation.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Dose-finding study of oral desogestrel with testosterone pellets for suppression of the pituitary-testicular axis in normal men.

    In healthy men, taking a specific hormone pill with a testosterone implant for 8 weeks made inhibin B disappear from semen but barely changed its level in the blood — exactly what the claim says.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.