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Klinefelter Syndrome and Sexuality
The only link between Klinefelter syndrome and sexuality is that males who have the condition may also have a diminished sex drive. Testosterone injections can significantly improve this symptom of Klinefelter syndrome.
Some parents of boys with Klinefelter syndrome are concerned that their sons may grow up to be homosexual. This concern is unfounded, however, as there is no evidence that males with Klinefelter syndrome are any more inclined toward homosexuality than are other men.
In fact, the only significant sexual difference between adult males and teenage boys with Klinefelter syndrome and other males their age is that the males with Klinefelter syndrome may have less interest in sex. However, regular injections of the male sex hormone testosterone can bring sex drive up to normal levels.
In some cases, testosterone injections lead to a false sense of security. After receiving the hormone for a time, males with Klinefelter syndrome may conclude they've derived as much benefit from it as possible and discontinue the injections. But when they do, their interest in sex almost invariably diminishes until they resume the injections.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD