Important Facets of low testosterone

There's a good reason guys go girl-crazy in their teens and twenties: Their testosterone learn the facts here now levels are at their my explanation peak. From there, though, click over here now testosterone levels slowly decrease.

"After age 30, most men begin to experience a gradual decline in testosterone," says David Samadi, MD, chairman of the urology department at Lenox Hill Hospital in nyc.

Though testosterone levels never reach zero (as estrogen levels do in women during menopause), low testosterone levels men to experience symptoms like fatigue, low libido, and reduction of muscle mass.

While reduced testosterone is more prevalent in older men, it may occur in younger men also. Luckily, all of the causes of low testosterone in young men are treatable, so if you experience such symptoms at any age, there's no reason to dismiss it.

Causes of Low Testosterone in Younger Men

For younger men, a drop in testosterone levels can be caused by some illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, chronic liver or liver disease, COPD or other lung disorder, or adrenal gland issues, based on Dr. Samadi.

Genetic causes of low testosterone in men include the diseases Klinefelter syndrome, Kallmann syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Myotonic dystrophy. Another disorder which could result in low testosterone is hemochromatosis, making the body store too much iron.

"Low testosterone can also result when something happens, like trauma or steroid use, that prevents the testes from making the hormone," says Bruce Gilbert, MD, PhD, an adjunct clinical professor of urology and reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of reproductive and sexual medicine in the Smith Institute for Urology of their North Shore-LIJ Health System.

Other causes of low testosterone in men younger than 50 include pituitary gland tumors, HIV disease, and radiation therapy or chemotherapy for cancer.

Doctors categorize causes of low testosterone as secondary or primary.

"Primary hypogonadism stems from a problem in the testicles," Samadi says.

Can It Be Low Testosterone?

Irrespective of the cause, low testosterone symptoms are the same.

"Symptoms include low libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, decreased mental acuity and moodiness," Dr. Gilbert says.





"When it comes to treating low testosterone in older guys, we usually reserve treatment for people who have symptoms, such as fatigue and reduced libido," Gilbert says.

In men who don't make the hormone in their testes because of a condition such as Klinefelter syndrome, or those who have lost their testes because of cancer, the only option is testosterone replacement therapy.

In these circumstances,"therapies are usually used just in the short term, and if a doctor has close monitoring and knowledge of the individual," Gilbert says.

An important consideration for younger men before getting treatment is fertility. "You don't wish to give supplemental testosterone to guys who want to be fertile since it can turn off sperm production," Gilbert says.

Once a young man goes off testosterone supplementation, there's a chance his sperm count will never return to what it was before he started. "Therefore, men of reproductive age should think about alternatives that might improve their testosterone as well as preserve their semen production," he says. 1 such alternative is a class of drugs known as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).

Other treatments for low testosterone include weight loss and other lifestyle modifications, such as eating healthy and raising exercise.

The bottom line, however, is that if you have low testosterone symptoms, then it's important to see your physician. Then, your doctor can rule out potentially more significant causes of your symptoms, including high blood pressure or a thyroid problem, and give treatment that can improve your power and high quality of life.

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