PROGESTERONE AND SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR IN MALES

Previous investigations into the effects of progestins on copulatory b ehavior have suggested that progesterone inhibits the expression of an drogen-dependent sexual behaviors in males. However, virtually all of those studies utilized pharmacological dosages of progesterone. Such e xperiments, although essential for understanding the behavioral effect s of progesterone, yield little insight into the function of endogenou s progesterone in masculine sexual responses. In this brief review, at tention is focused on the role of physiological levels progesterone in copulatory behavior in male reptiles and mammals. Efforts are made to promote a reevaluation of the behavioral effects of progestins in mal es, similar to ongoing studies which are reexamining neural mechanisms involved in progestin-mediated reproductive behavior in-the female.