You’ve seen the commercials on television, particularly during sporting events. Feeling low? Have no energy? Sex drive diminished? Can’t throw that football through the tire swing anymore? You might have low testosterone!
While some studies estimate that 4-5 million American men suffer from low testosterone, it’s not necessarily an emergent situation.
“There is an increasing amount of concern among different specialties that low testosterone has adverse health effects on men,” said Dr. J.D. Williams with The Urology Group at St. Elizabeth’s “Now having said that, the problem is that the definition of low testosterone is nebulous. Because testosterone levels vary from person to person and from age to age, it’s hard to say what a low testosterone level is for any one person.”
Testosterone, a hormone, is produced primarily in the testicles and is linked to bone density, fat metabolism, muscle tone, red blood cell production and sex drive. It naturally decreases from year to year in men over 30,
Symptoms that are commonly linked to “low T” are:
Physical changes: From increased body fat to decrease of muscle mass, to thinning hair and a slower metabolism.
Sexual function problems: A reduced desire for sex, fewer spontaneous erections or infertility.
Sleep disorders: Low testosterone has been linked to insomnia in some studies, while others have linked it to sleep apnea.
Emotional changes: Depression or a lack of motivation are often reported by sufferers.
But, as Williams points out, those are changes that we sometimes see as a natural product of aging, or can easily be contributed to other factors.
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can be costly and has its own risks, as well.
“When a patient is getting testosterone supplements, you have to monitor his prostate. It doesn’t cause prostate cancer, but it has been shown, in patients that were already symptomatic, it could make their cancer more aggressive,” Williams said.
Studies have also shown an increase risk of cardiac problems with TRT patients.
“The key is to sit down with your doctor and decide how aggressive you want to be in restoring testosterone levels,” Williams added.
