As you age, testosterone therapy might sound promising. But there are a lot of misconceptions about what the treatment can and can’t do for you.
Testosterone therapy might seem like the ultimate anti-aging formula. Yet the health benefits of testosterone therapy for age-related decline in testosterone aren’t clear.
Find out what’s known — and not known — about testosterone therapy for normal aging.
Testosterone is a hormone produced primarily in the testicles. Testosterone helps maintain men’s:
Testosterone levels generally peak during adolescence and early adulthood. As you age, your testosterone level gradually declines — typically about 1% a year after age 30 or 40. For older men, it’s important to determine if a low testosterone level is due to normal aging or if it is due to a disease (hypogonadism).
Hypogonadism hampers the ability to produce normal amounts of testosterone due to a problem with the testicles or with the pituitary gland that controls the testicles. Testosterone replacement therapy, in the form of injections, pellets, patches, or gels, can improve the signs and symptoms of low testosterone in these men.
Not necessarily. Men can have many signs and symptoms as they age. Some that might occur as a result of lower testosterone levels can include:
Some of these signs and symptoms can be caused by other factors, including medication side effects, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, diabetes, and depression. It’s also possible that these conditions cause low testosterone levels, so treatment might result in an increase in testosterone levels.
A blood test is used to diagnose a low testosterone level.
Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it’s unclear whether testosterone therapy would benefit older men who are otherwise healthy.
Although some men believe they feel younger and more vigorous if they take testosterone medications, there’s little evidence to support the use of testosterone in otherwise healthy men. Guidelines from the American College of Physicians indicate that testosterone therapy might improve sexual function somewhat in some men, but there’s little evidence that it improves other functions, such as vitality and energy.
Testosterone therapy has various risks, including:
Also, some research shows that testosterone therapy can increase your risk of heart disease. More research is needed.
If you wonder whether testosterone therapy might be right for you, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits. Your doctor will likely measure your testosterone levels at least twice before recommending testosterone therapy.
Treating normal aging with testosterone therapy is not advisable. If you don’t have a medical condition that’s contributing to your decline in testosterone levels, your doctor might suggest natural ways to boost testosterone, such as losing weight and increasing muscle mass through resistance exercise.
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