Benefit of Testosterone Therapy
want to take advantage of the health benefits of testosterone therapy for age-related decline in testosterone? Know the benefits of each of the therapies.
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is the hormone responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics like a deep voice, muscular build, and facial hair. Testosterone also fosters the production of red blood cells, boosts mood, keeps bones strong, and aids thinking ability.
When levels of testosterone drop below levels that are healthy, they are said to be imbalanced and can lead to conditions like hypogonadism or infertility.
Decline In Testosterone And Age
Levels of testosterone tend to drop as men age. Testosterone levels peak by early adulthood and drop as you age. As men reach their 50s and beyond, this may lead to signs and symptoms, such as impotence or changes in sexual desire, depression or anxiety, reduced muscle mass, less energy, weight gain, anemia, and hot flashes. While falling testosterone levels are a normal part of aging, There are, however, sources from which people with low testosterone can boost their levels called testosterone therapy.
Why Testosterone Therapy?
Testosterone therapy is recommended to restore low levels of testosterone hormones. Testosterone therapy is used for men whose blood levels of this masculine hormone fall below the normal range. Symptoms of low testosterone levels include low sex drive, fatigue, body and facial hair loss, and decreased muscle mass. Supplemental testosterone is usually taken as a gel, by injection or via a skin or mouth patch.
The effects of gradually lowering testosterone levels as men age have received increasing attention in recent years. It is known as late-onset hypogonadism.
Testosterone therapy include:
Testosterone Supplements
One proposed treatment for low testosterone comes in the form of testosterone supplements. The effects of testosterone supplementation in older men with low testosterone at 80 milligrams (mg) a day. The study specifically looked at the potential effects of testosterone on:
- functional mobility
- cognition
- bone mineral density
- body composition
- lipids
- quality of life
Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) helps restore some affected functions of low testosterone. Studies have shown that TRT mainly impacts bone strength and hemoglobin levels in the blood.
The treatment can be administered by:
- skin gels and patches
- injections
- tablets that are absorbed through the gums
Testosterone replacement therapy provides extra benefit for overall mortality and stroke for men whose testosterone levels have normalized with TRT.
Benefits of Testosterone Therapy
Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it’s unclear whether testosterone therapy would have any benefit for older men who are otherwise healthy.
Taking testosterone medication help men feel younger and more vigorous as they age, few rigorous studies have examined testosterone therapy in men who have healthy testosterone levels.
There are also risks: Testosterone treatment can raise a man’s red blood cell count as well as enlarge his breasts. It can also accelerate prostate growth. Men with breast cancer should not receive testosterone treatment.
Testosterone treatment usually is not advised for men with prostate cancer. Hedges says some of the associations between testosterone replacement therapy and prostate health are currently being challenged. In his practice, he does offer testosterone treatment to men who have been treated for prostate cancer.
