Effect of breath-hold diving (freediving) on serum androgen levels -- a preliminary report

Breath-hold diving (freediving) is a discipline that makes considerable demands on sportsmen, which can amount to extreme distress. It is also known that psychological and physical strain affects hormonal milieus. We wanted to assess the impact of a stressful event (such as breath-hold diving) on the androgen status of men. We evaluated serum gonadotropins and androgen concentrations in four divers before diving, immediately post, and 60 minutes after diving. We found that neither gonadotropins nor total testosterone, free testosterone, calculated free testosterone or bioavailable testosterone concentrations changed significantly during diving practice. We conclude that the acute distress associated with breath-hold diving does not impact upon gonadotropins or androgen concentrations.