What Your Doctor Needs To Know To Treat Your Low T

Testosterone

It’s a hot topic these days. There are multiple testosterone replacement therapy providers jumping on board to offer treatment. Oftentimes, it’s a fix that isn’t necessarily appropriate in the long term.

Low testosterone and its symptoms can be multifaceted. That’s why you need your doctor to be an expert in men’s health, not just testosterone treatment. They need to be willing to comb through all the factors that need to be managed and also be an expert in the appropriate men’s health treatment for you.

Everyone wants a quick fix. And they’re out there, but a quick fix isn’t always the best approach to treat low testosterone. Low t is one aspect of men’s health you don’t want to just rub some dirt on and keep on playing. Low testosterone is a chronic medical issue that affects quality of life and has underlying health impacts.

Testosterone is the main sex hormone that regulates fertility, muscle mass, fat distribution, and red blood cell production. Research has found that after the age of 40, the concentration of circulating testosterone falls by about 1.6% a year for the majority of men. That means that approximately four out of ten men have low testosterone at age 45.

Developing an understanding

As medicine advances, the burden of low testosterone is being better understood. The explanation for the decline of testosterone levels in some men at younger ages is being explored.

It is widely known that testosterone appears to decline naturally with age, but there are other factors that can cause low testosterone in younger men that appear healthy. This is where your doctor’s expertise comes into play. And this is why you don’t want to run for the quick fix when it comes to testosterone replacement therapy.

Low testosterone, defined as lower than 220 to 350 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood serum, impacts quality of life dramatically. Short term symptoms include low libido, fatigue, loss of energy, depression, mood changes, erectile dysfunction, infertility, difficulty with weight loss, decrease in muscle mass, lack of motivation, decrease in mental clarity and sleep disturbances. Longer term physical repercussions such as bone density and cardiovascular health have also been seen.

What’s clear is this: low testosterone should be treated. But before running to the nearest testosterone clinic, there are additional underlying factors that could be causing testosterone to dip. These need to be addressed as well to get a full picture of what men’s health and wellness looks like for you.

Extraneous factors

Medications such as steroids, narcotics, and opioids lower testosterone. Nagging belly fat causes a decrease in testosterone, too—making exercise and diet important factors in testosterone therapy. There is some suspicion that chemicals also play a role in declining testosterone levels. BPA (bisphenol A) commonly found in plastic food and drink containers may have a link to lowering testosterone. Chronic diseases, like diabetes, also affect testosterone levels.

Your doctor’s expertise and awareness of all of the factors at play is important in combining multiple health and wellness treatment approaches. This also includes testosterone treatment to get your levels into a normal range. Modifying lifestyle habits like sleep, exercise, stress and diet to ensure the body’s ability to produce testosterone as naturally as possible is vital. Ruling out the early stages of chronic diseases or changing medications can also be helpful.

Your doctor should also be mindful of the many different medical treatments for low testosterone and which is best suited to your lifestyle and specific health and wellness needs. Finally, proper monitoring of treatment and offering referrals to other health and wellness providers if necessary is crucial.

Don’t be sold on a quick fix as the solution. Take the time with your doctor to make sure all factors are being explored. Understand the expert treatment plan is more beneficial in the long term than a quick fix. When dealing with your health and wellness, you don’t want to miss key components that can influence your health later in life.

Talk with a specialist today who cares about your health as much as you do.