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Gonadal function was elevated in 80 male heroin and/or methadone addicts by measuring basal plasma levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL) and testosterone. In 41 subjects semen analyses were also undertaken. Three groups were distinguished consisting of 15 heroin addicts, 42 undergoing methadone treatment but continuing to take heroin, and 23 taking only methadone. All patients had normal plasma levels of FSH, LH and testosterone. Prolactin levels were normal in all subjects except for the 15 heroin addicts, in whom they were significantly higher than in controls (P less than 0.025). Semen analyses from all of the heroin addicts and from the dual heroin-methadone users were abnormal, whereas only 10 out of 22 (45%) of the methadone takers were pathological. In all cases asthenospermia was one of the abnormalities (100%). Twenty-four per cent also showed teratospermia and hypospermia and 17% showed oligozoospermia. Such seminal pathology, especially of forward motility, even in combination with normal hormone levels, might be an early indication of heroin toxicity to the male reproductive tract.

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Spermatozoa morphology at two levels in the cervical canal was compared, at the external and internal uterine orifices, in samples taken "in vivo" during 2 1 postcoital tests (P.C.T.s). P.C.T.s with cervical mucus, with Moghissi scores lower than 10 and exo-and endocervical pH less than 7 were excluded. At the upper level of the cervical canal, 12 of the 21 P.C.T. showed more than 5% more normal spermatozoa than at the lower level of the canal (in 5 of these P.C.T. the increase was > 10%). Selection for normal heads was seen in 2 and for normal tails in 4. The P.C.T. that selected for normal tails all had > 10% abnormal tails at the external orifice. These results confirm that there is some selection of spermatozoa during passage through the cervical canal. Above all, the selection appears to exclude those spermatozoa with defective locomotive mechanisms (abnormal tails), which indicates that the mucus acts as a "passive filter" with selection depending on the spermatozoa themselves in relation to motility.Morphologische Selektion menschlicher Spermatozoen im Cervicalsekret ,,in vivo"Zusammenfassung: Die Morphologie der Spermatozoen wurde in zwei Abschnitten des Cenicalkanals verglichen. Bei 21 Postcoitaltesten wurden ,,in vivo" Proben vom auBeren und inneren Portiobereich untersucht. Postcoitalteste des Cenicalsekrets mit einem Moghissi-Index kleiner 10 und einem exo-und endocenicalem pH-Wert kleiner 7 wurden nicht in die Untersuchung aufgenommen. Im oberen Abschnitt des Cervicalkanals zeigten 12 der 21 Postcoitaltests uber 5% mehr Spermatozoen mit normaler Morphologie als im unteren Cenicalkanal (in 5 Testungen war der Anstieg uber 10%). Selektion normaler Kopfformen wurde in'2 Fallen und Selektion normaler Schwanzformen in 4 Fallen beobachtet. Diese Ergebnisse bestatigen eine Spermatozoenselektion wahrend der Cenicalkanalpassage. Vor allem scheinen Spermatozoen mit einer Storung des Motilitatsmechanimus selektiert zu werden. Dieses Ergebnis zeigt, daf3 das Cervicalsekret als ,,passiver Filter" arbeitet, der in Abhangigkeit von der Spermatozoenmotilitat wirkt. IntroductionThe importance of cervical mucus in the physiology of reproduction has become increasingly evident. The mucus acts as a barrier to spermatozoa during most of the men-