Evaluation of Oral Administration of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Momordica charantia on Fertility Hormones of Adult Male Wistar Rats

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of various doses of aqueous leaf extract of Momordica charantia on fertility hormones of adult male Wistar rats. Twenty health male albino rats were randomly assigned equally to four groups: low dose (LD), medium dose (MD) and high dose (HD) groups, treated with extracts of M. charantia at 12.5g, 25.0g and 50.0g respectively for thirty days. The last group (C) served as control, being given distilled water. The animals were sacrificed after the treatment period. There was statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in plasma FSH and testosterone levels in a dose dependent manner. This study has shown that M. charantia suppresses the pituitary-testicular axis, thus careful evaluation of an infertile male should involve a detailed drug history to aid diagnosis and management.