Read on to learn about your hormone\u00a0levels, symptoms of low testosterone and the potential side effects of hormone\u00a0replacement therapy.<\/p>\n
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Testosterone levels and symptoms of ‘low T’<\/h2>\n
Normal testosterone levels for a man should lie\u00a0somewhere between 300 and 1000ng\/dL. Unfortunately, as we age our T levels naturally start to drop<\/strong>, and unless you do something to combat it, levels may eventually fall below the normal range.<\/p>\n Clinical hypogonadism, or ‘low T’ is diagnosed when your T levels drop below 300ng\/dL. <\/strong><\/em>Currently, it is thought that 4 or 5 million men in the US suffer from this condition.<\/p>\n Research has shown that between the ages of 25 and 75, total T levels can fall by as much as 30%. On top of that, your free testosterone – this is the more biologically available T, can also decline – by approximately 50%. Both can have significant impact on your health [1].<\/p>\n As your T levels drop you may begin to suffer from a number of health-related side effects, particularly in the long-term. These include:<\/p>\n Key Point:<\/strong>\u00a0From the age of around 30, testosterone levels fall by 1% per year. Low levels – often referred to as ‘hypogonadism’, affects around 5 million US men.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Many men choose to go with TRT for fear of suffering the side effects of low T. According to a recent research review, testosterone replacement therapy is the primary treatment option for hypogonadism\u00a0<\/strong>[2].<\/p>\n It is estimated that around 2.3 million men are currently using some form of T-therapy.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This type of therapy comes in many different forms. You can use skin patches that are worn on the arm or upper body, gels that are absorbed through the skin or oral patches. You can also replace your lost testosterone by injections and implants that are administered directly into the muscle, or as a pellet-like surgical implant delivered into your soft tissue.<\/p>\n In the grand scheme of things, injections are the most potent, but typically your physician will advise you on which method they feel is most appropriate for you. Around 1 in 10 men say that TRT has changed their quality of life, whereas the others say the differences are negligible.<\/strong><\/p>\n Some benefits – such as an increase in energy and libido – may occur straight away, whereas physical benefits such as fat loss or muscle gain may take weeks or months.<\/p>\n Where many people disagree about male hormone therapy is whether or not these potential benefits are outweighed by the risks. As TRT has not been around for that long there simply hasn’t been enough time to properly assess the long-term risks. Read on to find out what these are…<\/strong><\/p>\n Key Point:<\/strong> TRT is a common form of testosterone replacement. It comes in patch, gel, surgical implant or injection form.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Testosterone is a steroid hormone with actions in a wide variety of organs and tissues. As with any medical intervention, you need to properly weight up the risks against the potential benefits when you are deciding to undergo TRT or not.<\/p>\n It has been suggested that the safety and risks of testosterone replacement therapy depend upon age, life circumstances, and other medical conditions [3].<\/p>\n Firstly, there appears to be a link between TRT and cardiovascular risk<\/strong>. In a large study of over 55,000 men, researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the US [4]\u00a0found that men older than 65 who had a history of heart disease had double the risk of a heart attack after 3 months of T-therapy.<\/p>\n There is also research to suggest links to stroke<\/strong> as well – a neurological disease that affects the blood vessels of the brain. A study by\u00a0JAMA\u00a0<\/em>published in 2014 found that in if men were given\u00a0TRT after a preventative artery cleaning procedure, they were 30% more likely to suffer a\u00a0stroke <\/strong>[5].<\/p>\n One of the reasons why these cardiovascular complications\u00a0may occur is that TRT causes blood cells to increase in size and become thicker – and this may increase the chances of a blood clot forming. Similarly, this type of therapy has been found to increase the number of blood cells too – a condition called\u00a0polycythemia.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The link between cardiovascular risk and\u00a0TRT led to a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee examination in 2014.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n There are a number of other side effects that have been reported too. These include<\/p>\n Currently, the FDA states neither the benefits nor the safety of testosterone therapy have been established for low testosterone levels due to aging. As of 2015, the FDA has required that testosterone labels include warning information about the possibility of\u00a0cardiovascular\u00a0complications.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As we age, testosterone levels begin to decline. Between the ages of 25 and 75, T levels can fall by as much as 30% and this can lead to a number of health-related symptoms including loss on muscle mass and strength, reduced libido and decreased bone health.<\/p>\n A common method of testosterone replacement is TRT – endogenous hormone replacement via gel, patch, implant or injection. It doesn’t work for everyone though and the benefits are different for each individual patient.<\/p>\n There have been a number of side effects linked to TRT which has led many to question the safety of testosterone therapy. These side effects including cardiovascular complications such as heart attack and stroke, as well as blood thickening and\u00a0polycythemia.<\/p>\n Subsequently, the FDA issued that all medications need to carry warnings on labels including warning information about the possible complications this type of therapy may cause.<\/p>\n\n
\n![\"T-Levels-and-Ageing\"](\"https:\/\/www.testofuel.com\/tf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/T-Levels-and-Ageing.jpg\")
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\nWhat is\u00a0testosterone replacement therapy?<\/h2>\n
\n![\"TRT-and-Cardiovascular-Risk\"](\"https:\/\/www.testofuel.com\/tf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/TRT-and-Cardiovascular-Risk.jpg\")
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\nIs TRT safe?<\/h2>\n
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\nSummary<\/h2>\n
\nWhat else can you do to boost T levels?<\/h2>\n