Testosterone Therapy

As men get older, their testosterone levels gradually decrease. Testosterone is naturally produced by the testicles and these organs begin to decrease in function with advancement of age.

Effects of testosterone

Testosterone is an androgen which is a hormone found in high levels in men. It is also found in women but in extremely low levels. Testosterone helps to maintain the following in men:

• Muscle mass and strength.
• Fat distribution, by keeping it away from the abdomen and hips and distributing it around the arms and legs.
• Body and facial hair.
• Appropriate bone density.
• Red blood cell production.
• Sperm production.
• Sexual drive/libido.

Changes in testosterone levels with age

Testosterone levels peak during the teenage years and early adulthood. The hormone then starts to decrease at about 1% per year from ages 30-40. 

It's important to distinguish between normal decreased levels of testosterone and when the problem is being caused by a condition called hypogonadism. This condition occurs when the body can't produce normal levels of testosterone due to issues with the testicles (primary cause) or with the pituitary gland in the brain (secondary cause). If the cause is due to a mass on the pituitary gland, then this may have to be managed through surgical intervention.

Symptoms of lowered testosterone levels

Not all men experience signs and symptoms of lowered testosterone levels, but if they do they include the following:

• Physical changes - these may include decreased muscle strength and mass, increased body fat on the abdomen and hips, decreased bone density, swelling of the breasts (gynecomastia), body and facial hair loss, fatigue and decreased energy.
• Sexual dysfunction - may include decreased sexual desire, less spontaneous erections, generally weak erections, delayed ejaculation, decreased sensation during orgasm and infertility.
• Emotional changes - can include a depressed mood, decrease in self-confidence and motivation, feeling sad and experiencing problems with memory and concentration.
• Changes in sleep patterns​ - insomnia or other sleep-related problems.

Other conditions that can affect men such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obstructive sleep apnoea, thyroid dysfunction and major depression can also cause these signs and symptoms. It's therefore important that men who do experience these issues consult with their primary care doctors so that they can be examined and investigated further. Only then can they be diagnosed properly and receive the correct management.

READ Prostate Cancer: Alternative Treatments

Managing symptomatic low testosterone

The only way low testosterone levels can be diagnosed is by performing blood tests to determine these levels. If the patient does have abnormally low testosterone levels together with symptoms of the condition, and where other causes have been excluded, then the patient's physician will discuss testosterone replacement therapy. This would include giving the hormone orally or intramuscularly, but the latter is the more effective and popular route of administration.

Natural ways of increasing testosterone levels include losing weight and increasing physical exertion through both cardiovascular and strength training exercises.