Testosterone continues to be one of the most misunderstood hormones in the human body. Because it is a hormone used to develop male sexual characteristics, most people just assume that all types of testosterone combine to form massive, manly men. This leads to countless misconceptions about low testosterone, which is medically referred to as hypoandrogenism, but the reality of low testosterone is much more nuanced. Instead of just fixing it with supplementation, your diet and exercise can be altered to make a huge difference.
Here is everything you should know about this commonly diagnosed medical condition.
1. It Can Happen to Anyone
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A lot of people assume that low testosterone only occurs among men who are in their 50s or older, but low testosterone is actually an issue among people of all genders and ages. Both genders need adequate levels of testosterone hormones to function normally, but a variety of factors, including illness, tumors, environmental issues, or malfunctioning glands can cause testosterone levels to drop at any time.
This misconception occurs because testosterone production in males peaks around the age of 30 before slowly declining, so low testosterone is somewhat more common among older men. However, anyone can be affected by low testosterone, so you may want to get your levels checked if you notice it happening.
2. There Are Many Different Types of Testosterone Supplements
Testosterone supplements, which are the most common method of treatment for low testosterone, come in a variety of different forms. Not only can testosterone be supplemented via pills, a topical gel, a patch, or an injection, but there are actually chemical differences between different types.
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Some forms of testosterone are very fast acting, causing a peak of blood testosterone levels almost immediately. Other types take up to five days to metabolize, but they can remain in the body for a few weeks. Altogether, there are over 30 synthetic testosterone compounds, so you will need to talk to your doctor and find the right option for your unique case of low testosterone.
3. Testosterone Supplements Don’t Always Solve Infertility
A lot of couples struggling with infertility look to low testosterone treatments for a cure. Low testosterone levels can definitely affect fertility by diminishing intercourse and preventing healthy sperm production. However, the strong association between testosterone and manliness makes some men think that they will be able to impregnate countless women just by taking supplements. In reality, some research has found that synthetic testosterone supplements diminish fertility.
Men may have more struggles with fertility while taking supplements, but this stops when they stop usage. Doctors are starting to encourage patients who are primarily interested in increased fertility to find ways to naturally boost the body’s production of testosterone instead of just taking supplements.
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4. Neither Gender Has a Strong Libido Without Testosterone
One of the most common symptoms of testosterone is a diminished libido, but it is not always noticeable. This happens because testosterone helps to ready the body for intercourse, so without it, people may struggle to get aroused or even be interested in sex.
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Often, people do not realize they are suffering from a lowered libido until a partner points out that they are no longer interested in intercourse. This is due to the common assumption that it is normal for adults to lose interest in sex, but any sudden decrease in libido is abnormal and may be a sign of diminished testosterone.
5. Testosterone Is Produced in Multiple Places
Testosterone is not just produced in the testicles, so you may be dealing with low testosterone even if your testicles seem to be producing adequate amounts of this hormone. This is such an important hormone that it is actually produced in many organs of the body.
It is true that men produce testosterone in their testes while women produce testosterone in their ovaries. However, it is also produced by the adrenal gland, the placenta in pregnant women, and even a person’s skin. Because the human body relies on so many different organs to get adequate testosterone levels, even a minor issue with one of the areas of testosterone production can affect you noticeably.
6. Exercise Can Be a Helpful Treatment
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Though exercise alone is not enough to cure low testosterone levels, there is no denying that it can be helpful. Medical research has long known that exercise causes testosterone levels to increase, but this boost only lasts about an hour. However, regular exercise may be able to cause enough minor boosts to provide some relief from low testosterone symptoms. It can also help to increase testosterone levels over time by reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass. Therefore, regular exercise can be quite useful among men with just a moderately low level of testosterone.
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7. Low Testosterone Symptoms Vary by Gender
Because women’s bodies are so sensitive to lower amounts of androgenic hormones, they tend to experience different symptoms of low testosterone. Both genders tend to lose energy, get mood swings, and have a lower libido without testosterone, but other physical characteristics vary.
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Women with low testosterone frequently suffer from scalp hair loss, while men with low testosterone are more likely to retain scalp hair while losing body and facial hair. Women with lower testosterone also find it particularly hard to lose weight because they have such little testosterone to begin with.
8. It Might Be Caused by Your Sleep Habits
Most of a person’s natural testosterone production is secreted from the glands into the bloodstream while you sleep. Even a small interruption in sleep can make testosterone levels dip. Almost every man has noticed that he has less libido and energy when he is tired, and this is actually often caused by slightly lower than normal testosterone levels.
If a person has a chronic sleep disorder, their sleep disruptions might actually be bad enough to cause significantly low testosterone amounts. Sleep apnea, a disorder that causes breathing to randomly and briefly stop while a person sleeps, is particularly linked to low testosterone levels. Because sleep impacts testosterone so much, some patients find that their testosterone levels balance out again once they fix their sleep disorder.
9. More and More People Are Being Treated for It
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The growing awareness of low T has lead to more and more interest in testosterone treatments. Roughly half of all men in their 80s have at least somewhat diminished testosterone levels, but medical advancements allow seniors to live a more active life. The growing understanding of hormones and the increasing desire to live an active and healthy life have combined to cause skyrocketing testosterone supplement prescriptions.
Only 1.3 million people in the United States were prescribed testosterone in 2010, but within just three years, the number of patients being treated for low testosterone levels had increased by a million. Physicians predict that the numbers will begin to increase.
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10. It Doesn’t Actually Cause a Lot of Erectile Dysfunction
Most doctors report that they are getting patients asking about low testosterone treatments because the patients are dealing with erectile dysfunction. While it is true that the diminished libido associated with low testosterone can make it harder for a man to sustain an erection, low testosterone does not actually cause erectile dysfunction. The primary cause of erectile dysfunction is actually reduced blood flow in the penis because of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
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The two different conditions often get confused because they are both affected by libido and tend to occur among senior men. However, increasing a man’s testosterone levels will not always result in reduced erectile dysfunction if another health issue is causing this problem.
11. Substance Abuse Makes the Problem Worse
When men are advised to avoid heavy drinking and smoking tobacco, they have a tendency to just assume that their doctor wants them to generally increase their health. However, there is a very real and very specific reason why this is advised for men who have low testosterone.
Drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using marijuana or opiates are all some of the primary reasons for low testosterone among younger men. These substances actually cause a rise in estrogen and a subsequent lowering in testosterone that can contribute to issues with testosterone. Alcohol is particularly problematic at higher levels, so more than two drinks per day can greatly increase a man’s estrogen levels.
12. Natural Testosterone Levels Vary Wildly
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Of course it is obvious that low testosterone just means testosterone levels that are lower than average, but many people do not realize just how much testosterone levels fluctuate naturally among men. In women, blood testosterone levels should be somewhere between 15 to 70 nanograms per deciliter. Men should have somewhere between 300 to 1,000 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood.
Technically, a hormone blood test of below 300 nanograms per deciliter is required to count as having low testosterone. Therefore, it is possible for one man to have far less testosterone naturally than another man without actually having low testosterone.
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13. Having Low Testosterone Harms the Bones
Though low levels of the hormone estrogen are the hormonal imbalance most likely to cause osteoporosis, testosterone also plays an important part.
The bones are a constantly changing structure that is always removing old bone cells and producing new bone cells. However, as people age, the rate of new bone cell is reduced until the rate of bone cell removal overtakes it. This results in a lowered bone density that can cause severe fractures if a person just trips, falls a few inches, or bumps up against a countertop.
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Testosterone helps to improve bone thickness, so without it, the bones are already at a disadvantage. Extended levels of low testosterone can result in dangerously weakened and brittle bones.
14. It Can Only Be Diagnosed by a Doctor
Unfortunately, the growing awareness about the effects of testosterone has encouraged some people to self-diagnose themselves, and it is possible to get testosterone supplements without a prescription through the internet. In a concerning survey by the FDA, it was discovered that 25 percent of people taking testosterone supplements had not actually gotten their testosterone levels tested before getting supplements.
Many men mistakenly think that there are no negative side effects to taking testosterone supplements, just in case their levels might be low. However, excessive testosterone has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems and prostate cancer. Therefore, you should always talk to a doctor about having your testosterone levels tested before you immediately jump into self-medicating.
15. Long Term Supplementation May Be Harmful
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Now that more and more men are starting to take testosterone supplements in their early 40s and 50s, there is some growing concern about the long term effects of supplementation. No medical studies have examined patients who take testosterone supplements for more than thirty years. Though there are not many men who have taken supplements for a long period of time, there is a small yet worrying amount of evidence that it increases risks of heart attacks, prostate cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
For men with very low testosterone, the benefits of supplementation may outweigh the advantages. However, as more information about long term testosterone supplements is discovered, the frequency with which doctors are prescribing them may change.
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16. It Can Sometimes Be Caused by Serious Health Conditions
After being diagnosed with low testosterone, just taking supplements and trying to improve testosterone levels is not enough. Sometimes low T just happens with age or due to under producing gonads, but at other times, the reason for changes in testosterone is much more concerning.
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Since the production of hormones is controlled by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, any issues with these glands can halt testosterone production. A tumor pressing against the pituitary and hypothalamus can prevent them from working properly, and if left untreated, it could spread to harm other areas by the brain. If you suspect that you have low testosterone, getting it treated promptly is very important.
17. New Treatments Are Being Developed
The issue with a lot of testosterone supplements is that they do not produce testosterone at a naturally steady rate. Instead, a lot of creams or pills cause a sudden spike in testosterone that reduces rather rapidly. Though it is better than having excessively low testosterone levels, it still causes some imbalances. Intramuscular injections are typically released at a lower rate, but they can be inconvenient and uncomfortable.
A possible new option are the implants a few pharmaceutical companies are creating that would release a low, steady stream of testosterone. Though gonadotropin supplementation is not as reliable as straight testosterone supplementation, injections with this hormone can sometimes help to stimulate the production of testosterone. However, gonadotropin is only an option if the gonads are otherwise working fine.
18. Your Diet Makes a Difference
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Since testosterone cannot be built without the right nutrients, what you eat does impact testosterone production. Though diet changes will not be helpful if your low testosterone is due to damaged organs, it can be helpful if you just have generally reduced testosterone levels.
To even get started on producing testosterone, our glands need adequate amounts of zinc and magnesium. Zinc and magnesium are mostly found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Testosterone is then synthesized from cholesterol, so a person needs a decent amount of fat and cholesterol in their diet. Nuts, eggs, and avocados are all great sources of healthy fats and cholesterols. Since obesity just further decreases testosterone, it is important to eat the correct number of calories while increasing fat uptake.
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19. Weight Loss May Be Able to Treat It
A lot of medical researchers agree that the increasing rates of low testosterone might actually be caused by the rapidly growing obesity rates in the United States. This seems to happen because fat cells actually have an effect on testosterone levels.
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A cell of fat naturally produces certain enzymes that convert testosterone into estradiol, a female sex hormone that is a form of estrogen. In women, this is a purposeful mechanism that allows fat around the hips and bust to synthesize more of the body’s required estrogen. However, when an otherwise healthy male becomes obese, this can cause diminished testosterone levels. Because fat cells seem to cause low testosterone, men can increase testosterone by losing weight. Therefore, diet and exercise have a massive effect on testosterone levels.
20. Low Testosterone May Cause Depression
Your hormones have a huge influence on your mood that is often overlooked. Though it is understandable to be more concerned about physical problems than a slight amount of moodiness, low testosterone can severely diminish a person’s quality of life. Without adequate amounts of testosterone, men can feel depressed, fatigued, and exhausted all the time.
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In addition to the physical changes in your brain due to lower testosterone, the lack of confidence and energy due to low testosterone levels may further exacerbate depression. Treating this condition can help to alleviate depression and brighten a person’s mood.
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