What Is Testosterone and Why Does It Decline?
"A lot of the symptoms are mirrored by other medical problems," Hedges says. "And for a long time, we were not attributing them to low testosterone, but to diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. But awareness and appreciation of low testosterone have risen. We recognize now that low testosterone may be at the root of problems."
Doctors will want to rule out any such possible explanations for symptoms before blaming them on low testosterone. They will also want to order a specific blood test to determine a man's testosterone level.
"The blood test is really the thing," Mezitis says.
The bottom of a man's normal total testosterone range is about 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). The upper limit is approximately 800ng/dL depending on the lab. A lower-than-normal score on a blood test can be caused by some conditions, including:
Some medicines and genetic diseases can also lower a man's testosterone score. Aging does contribute to low scores. In some cases, the cause is unknown.
A low score does not always translate to symptoms, Mezitis says, "but we often find something that's off when we see scores of 200 or 100 ng/dL."
Hedges agrees and warns that even if a man does not have symptoms, he may be well advised to seek treatment. Low testosterone scores often lead to drops in bone density, meaning that bones become more fragile and increasingly prone to breaks.
"That's something I would want to have a conversation about," Hedges says. "Bone density issues are not always apparent."
Having a gradual decline in your testosterone level as you age is to be expected. Treatment is sometimes considered if you're experiencing symptoms related to low testosterone.
If a young man's low testosterone is a problem for a couple trying to get pregnant, Mezitis and Hedges say testosterone injections are the best option. Given every few weeks, the injections stimulate sperm production and motility ("swimming ability"). When fertility is not an issue, the ideal testosterone delivery method is a daily gel or patch. Because they are applied on a regular and frequent basis, these treatments keep a man's testosterone at a steady level and keep his symptoms at bay. If you are using testosterone gel on your skin, be careful not to expose other people to the gel.
Hedges also describes implantable testosterone pellets, a relatively new form of treatment in which several pellets are placed under the skin of the buttocks, where they release testosterone over the course of about three to four months.
- Did You Know? Testosterone Protects Your Heart! - January 21st, 2022
- Marijuana and Testosterone Levels: Are Your Manboobs Caused by Smoking Weed? - October 19th, 2021
- Low Levels of Testosterone Linked to Sleep Apnea - September 29th, 2021
- Testosterone, Intelligence, and Your Brain - September 1st, 2021
- Increased Fat Intake Could Boost Moderate Low Testosterone Levels - June 13th, 2021
- Low Testosterone In Women - VieNue Bioidentical ... - May 30th, 2021
- Truth About Testosterone Quiz: Low Testosterone and Axiron - April 26th, 2021
- Low T - My life was falling apart because I had low testosterone - April 25th, 2021
- Testosterone cream and gel for supplementation treating hypogonadism - March 13th, 2021
- Ester Marsh: Low testosterone and exercise - November 6th, 2020
- It is the rare man who has low T - November 4th, 2020
- Low Testosterone Linked to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - September 10th, 2020
- Hypotestosteronism - Low Testosterone and Hypogonadism - June 12th, 2020
- The Effects of Marijuana on Testosterone Production - May 16th, 2020
- The History, Myths and Misconceptions of Testosterone - May 13th, 2020
- Can Testosterone Deficiency Cause or Contribute to Feelings of Depression? - May 6th, 2020
- Methadone Suppresses Testosterone Production in Men - May 5th, 2020
- How Low Testosterone Could Be Deadly - April 24th, 2020
- Testosterone Replacement Beneficial for Modern Men? - February 11th, 2020
- Testosterone therapy: Potential benefits and risks as you age - Mayo Clinic - July 29th, 2016
- Low Testosterone in Men - Hormone Health Network - May 9th, 2016
- 7 Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women - May 9th, 2016
- Low Male Testosterone Level - Symptoms and Diagnosis - April 29th, 2016
- Low Testosterone (Low-T) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - eMedicineHealth - April 17th, 2016
- How can I boost my testosterone level? - WebMD Answers - April 10th, 2016
- Increase Low Testosterone Levels with Testosterone-Rx ... - February 8th, 2016
- Low Testosterone and Your Health - WebMD - October 29th, 2015
- Low Testosterone - Steroid .com - October 22nd, 2015
- LowTestosterone.com - Symptoms of Low Testosterone - October 5th, 2015
- Is Low Testosterone Affecting Your Health? - August 8th, 2015
- Low Testosterone (Low-T): Get Facts on Levels and Treatment - August 7th, 2015
- Low Testosterone in Men With Diabetes - July 6th, 2015
- Myths and Misconceptions around Low Testosterone Treatment - Video - May 4th, 2015
- Low Testosterone Cure Intro - Video - May 3rd, 2015
- Luke McNally - Low Vitamin D may cause low testosterone - Video - April 30th, 2015
- Low Testosterone Therapy Risks and Benefits - Video - April 25th, 2015
- Too Much Estrogen? Every Man Should Watch This! - Video - April 24th, 2015
- The Truth About Low Testosterone - Video - April 21st, 2015
- Low Testosterone - Men Lose 90% of their Testosterone from age 25 to age 70 - Video - April 21st, 2015
- Ageless Living - Topic: Low Testosterone - Video - April 17th, 2015
- 10 Foods That overcome low testosterone levels - Video - April 17th, 2015
- Low testosterone - April 13th - Video - April 17th, 2015
- Low testosterone help - Video - April 11th, 2015
- Low Testosterone Treatment Center in St. Louis | Low T Therapy - April 4th, 2015
- Low-T in women can lead to obesity, study finds - April 2nd, 2015
- Men's Health Show | Low-T, Prostate, Robotic Surgery - Video - March 30th, 2015
- How can we find out if my husband has low testosterone? - Video - March 29th, 2015
- Increase testosterone supplements - Video - March 19th, 2015
- How to increase your testosterone - Video - March 19th, 2015
- How Even Borderline Low T Might Affect Your Health - Video - March 14th, 2015
- Feel Like You are 25 Again,Low Testosterone, Testosterone solution - Video - March 5th, 2015
- Antares Announces Positive Pharmacokinetic Results From QuickShot Phase 3 Study - February 25th, 2015
- Low Testosterone anxiety - Men's Health - MedHelp - February 23rd, 2015
- low libido High Testosterone - Urology - MedHelp - February 23rd, 2015
- Low Testosterone Therapy | Men's Health - February 23rd, 2015
- Valentine's Day is an important day for men's health - Video - February 18th, 2015
- Treatments for Low Testosterone from Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th Edition - Video - February 15th, 2015
- Testosterone treatment soars, but is it the answer? - Video - February 15th, 2015
- Why is Low Testosterone so Common - Video - February 12th, 2015
- 7 ways hormones improve your quality of life - February 5th, 2015
- Low T | How To Increase Testosterone Naturally - February 1st, 2015
- Low Testosterone Symptoms | eHow - eHow | How to ... - January 31st, 2015
- Low Testosterone | Symptoms, Causes, Treatments - January 30th, 2015
- Analysis Rejects Linkage Between Testosterone Therapy And Cardiovascular Risk - January 28th, 2015
- Bodybuilding supplement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - January 11th, 2015
- Strategy Might Thwart Resistance to a Common Prostate Cancer Treatment - January 10th, 2015
- Low Testosterone Treatment for Men Insurance Accepted ... - December 29th, 2014
- What is Testosterone? | Boston Medical Group - December 29th, 2014
- Renew Male Review: Fix Low Testosterone With Natural Booster - Video - December 22nd, 2014
- Symptoms of A Low Testosterone Level How To Know Quickly - Video - December 22nd, 2014
- The Link Between Low Testosterone and Heart Disease - December 17th, 2014
- The ONE Hormone That Makes You FAT and Kills Your SEX Drive - Video - December 12th, 2014
- Manhood down the drain, everyday products could be wiping out your testosterone - November 27th, 2014
- How To Get Rid Of Low Testosterone Using Home Remedies? - Video - November 26th, 2014
- Low Testosterone? Boost it Naturally! - Video - November 22nd, 2014
- Is Low Testosterone Dangerous to Your Health? - November 19th, 2014
- diabetes - Video - November 18th, 2014
- Gladstone Barret -Low Testosterone Levels - Video - November 17th, 2014
- Healthy Living Series on Low Testosterone - Video - November 15th, 2014
- Low Testosterone | Men's Health Doctor | Dr George Forgan-Smith - Video - October 26th, 2014
Word Count: 430