Low Testosterone – Causes and Effects of Low Testosterone Levels

Testosterone is the hormone that essentially differentiates men from women. Increased testosterone levels are what cause puberty in boys and all of the subsequent effects such as a deeper voice, well-defined muscles, and even body hair. Testosterone is also the driving force behind a man’s sex drive. Patients who are suffering from low testosterone usually notice the impact on their sex life first. Low testosterone can cause erectile dysfunction, difficulty achieving orgasm and a decreased interest in sex. Low testosterone also causes fatigue, irritability, and a poor mood similar to mild depression. If you suffer from this condition, it’s important to seek treatment.

Low Testosterone affects more than just your sex drive. Though men may initially seek help with this problem because of their declining sex life, treating low testosterone is important for many other reasons. Men who suffer from low testosterone levels are at a higher risk for osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes. Your body needs adequate levels of this hormone to function properly on all levels. Low testosterone can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. If you’ve noticed changes in your mood, energy levels, or sex drive, you should talk to your doctor. Though you may be chocking it all up to stress, it could be more serious. Low testosterone can be caused by many different factors. Some common causes of low testosterone include:

• Obesity
• Aging
• Cancer therapy
• Medications, such as hormones, opiates, and steroids
• Inflammation of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland
• Trauma to the scrotum, testes, or head
• Infections

You may be suffering from one or more of these causes without being aware of it. Undiagnosed conditions such as Kallman’s syndrome, brain tumors, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, or syphilis could be behind your low testosterone. These underlying conditions can themselves be very serious and require prompt treatment. However, even mild causes such as aging can be treated. Low Testosterone is easily treatable. If you are suffering from an underlying condition that is causing your low testosterone levels, you doctor will naturally focus on treating that and your testosterone will increase again on its own. If your low testosterone is caused by aging or another medication you are taking, your doctor can prescribe testosterone to you in another form that will once again boost your levels. If you’re suffering from obesity, following a strict diet and exercise routine will not only improve your sex life and help you increase your testosterone levels, it will also improve your health in many other ways.

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Low Testosterone - Low T – The Basics

Testosterone is a steroid hormone made naturally in the testes of man and the ovaries of women. This powerful chemical serves two major functions in a person's body. It forms and maintains the sex organs in a man and is responsible for muscle growth and bone development. Production of testosterone is regulated by the brain in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Low T occurs when a man's testosterone level dips below normal levels, especially for their age range. It is important to understand that testosterone naturally begin to drop off as a man ages.

Both men and women will experience a natural reduction in the amount of testosterone produced by the body, but there are other factors that can be responsible for low T. Problems with the pituitary or hypothalamus can cause testosterone levels to fluctuate or it may be possible that the organs in an individual's body that are responsible for production of testosterone are not responding to stimulation by the brain or not functioning normally. Aside from these reasons, testosterone levels can be affected by cancer therapy such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy or even damage to the testes.

Some of the most common symptoms of low T in men include infertility, erectile dysfunction, and even loss of hair. If testosterone levels are unusually low during puberty or prepubescent development, an individual may not develop enough muscle mass or their genitals may not grow properly. Men who experience low T later in life will find that they put on excess weight and have less sexual stamina and sexual desire than they did when their testosterone was at normal levels. Fortunately, there are treatments for low testosterone that can help an individual return their testosterone to more youthful levels.

The most common way to treat low T in men is to supplement low testosterone levels with a hormone replacement. This type of testosterone replacement therapy may be done as an injection given on a regular basis or a gel or patch that is placed on the skin. As with most medical treatments, there are certain risks as well as benefits associated with each type of testosterone replacement therapy and which method is best for an individual will depend on their particular needs. It is also important for a person understand that there is a difference between low T and a low T-cell count. An individual who has been diagnosed with low T has several options available to him.

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