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Testosterone

Description

At a certain age, your body might not make testosterone the way it used to. This can lead to feelings of tiredness, reduced sex drive, and lower muscle mass. Treatments are widely available, but it’s important that a board-certified urologist oversee testing and prescribe the proper dosage. Too much testosterone isn’t healthy either. We’re here to get you back to feeling your old self.

After undergoing testosterone testing, if you are a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy, we have a few options…

Skin patch (transdermal): Androderm is a skin patch worn on the arm or upper body.
Gels: AndroGel and Testim come in packets of clear testosterone gel. Usually once a day, you apply the gel to your skin which allows testosterone to absorb into your body. Testosterone gels can also come in pumps that conveniently deliver the amount prescribed.
Mouth patch: Striant is a tablet that sticks to the upper gums above the incisor. This application method is done twice a day and delivers a consistent flow of testosterone into the blood via oral tissues.
Injections and implants: Other low testosterone treatment options involve muscle injections and pellets that are implanted into the soft tissue. In these routes, your body slowly absorbs the testosterone into the bloodstream.

It is important to keep in mind that just because you experience symptoms of low testosterone, and even have low t levels, you may not require any of these treatment methods. We may suggest options that will kickstart your body’s natural testosterone production.

Learn more about testosterone

What Is Testosterone?
Testosterone is the primary male hormone responsible for libido, energy, and overall drive. These symptoms are subjective and vary by person, over time, and even week to week or month to month. Testosterone is produced by the testicles, and peaks in production in the pubertal/postpubertal time frame. As men enter middle age, T production gradually decreases 1-2% per year.

When evaluating a person for symptoms of low testosterone, it is important to consider and perhaps test for, potential other causes of the symptoms, i.e. maybe the problem may really be something else, or just not Low T. At Men’s Wellness Institute, every option is explored.

Low Testosterone Symptoms
Common symptoms of low testosterone include low libido or sex drive, erectile dysfunction, decreased muscle mass, depression, difficulty concentrating, lethargy or tiredness. Each of these symptoms may have other hormonal or non-hormonal causes.

Low libido may be caused by other medications and/or personal stress. Erectile dysfunction may also be caused by blood flow or neurological conditions. Tiredness may be caused by numerous other hormonal or non-hormonal conditions such as thyroid or adrenal problems, anemia, sleep disturbances, or even undiagnosed mood disorders.

Some people may even have undiagnosed or suboptimally controlled diabetes as a contributor to the symptoms.

Therefore, in a patient with symptoms that are thought to be related to low testosterone, holistic and thorough testing should be done.

Low Testosterone Testing
If a patient is found to have low testosterone, a complete evaluation looking for the cause is conducted before treatment. The testes make testosterone in the Leydig cells. The testes are controlled largely by the pituitary gland which makes hormones that stimulate the testes to make testosterone and sperm.

Repeating the baseline testosterone testing is useful to confirm that the level is low. The testosterone level test should be done before mid-morning as the body normally produces testosterone at a higher level in the morning that later in the day.

A complete evaluation for low testosterone can include testing for conditions that affect the pituitary and the pituitary hormones that control the testis. If the pituitary hormone tests are abnormal, it may even be necessary to do a pituitary imaging test, such as an MRI.

If the testosterone is found to be low, then additional labs performed might include pituitary tests such as LH (luteinizing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), prolactin, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), free testosterone (the active testosterone fraction) as needed.

Other lab abnormalities might require referral to an endocrinologist, or other specialists that we work with to understand, accurately diagnose and treat your low testosterone or any other issues that arise during the workup.

If you have any questions regarding low t testing or testosterone replacement therapy and our professional advice and services, drop us a note or give us a call at 512-481-2961.

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