Do I have low testosterone?

Do you struggle with reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, hot flashes, loss of mean muscle loss, fatigue, depression, body hair loss, etc? Well, you might be struggling with low testosterone. Low testosterone, also called male hypogonadism, is a condition where the Leydig cells in the testicles don’t product enough of the male sex hormone, testosterone.

What does Testosterone do?

Testosterone has many important functions within the body. It stimulates the production of male characteristics, like body hair and a deep voice, and it promotes sperm production. It also helps with maintaining strong muscle and bones, red blood cells, energy, mood, sex drive, erections, hair growth, and body fat. Without adequate amounts of testosterone, these functions can become impaired.

Aging 👨🏻‍🦳👴🏽🧓🏿

As men get older, it is normal for testosterone to decline some. Typically, low testosterone affects men who are older in age, obese or overweight, have sleep apnea, have HIV/AIDS, have type 2 diabetes, or suffer from kidney or liver issues. About 40% of men who are 45 years or older struggle with low testosterone.

Causes of Low T

I’m sure you are wondering what the causes of low testosterone are. There are two kinds of male hypogonadism. These include Primary hypogonadism and Secondary hypogonadism, and they can each be split into two categories: congenital (at birth) or acquired (developed later in childhood or adulthood).

Primary hypogonadism is when something is wrong with the testicles themselves that they are not able to produce adequate testosterone. Some examples of congenital conditions that can lead to primary hypogonadism include:

• undescended testicles

• lack of testicles at birth

• Klinefelter’s syndrome (genetic condition)

• Noonan syndrome (genetic condition)

• Myotonic dystrophy

Some examples of acquired primary hypogonadism include:

• injury to the testicles

• testicle removal

• chemotherapy

• radiation

• orchitis

• tumors

Secondary hypogonadism is when something is wrong with the hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland that can be caused by other conditions.
Some congenital conditions that can lead to secondary hypogonadism include:

• isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

• Kallmann syndrome

Some examples of acquired secondary hypogonadism include:

• hypopituitarism

• kidney failure

• Cushing’s syndrome

• certain medications

What to do if you struggle with low testosterone.

The first step in asking for help is to talk to a doctor. A doctor will take down your health and symptoms history, perform an examine, and will then send you to get some blood tests done. The blood tests that can be used to diagnose low testosterone are a total testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin. After confirming your diagnosis, the doctor can prescribe you testosterone replacement medications that come in a variety of forms. The different forms consist of skin gels, injections, oral pills, patches, pellets, buccal tablets, and nasal gel. Talk to your doctor or come see us at Evora for Men to talk about what is right for you!