What Causes Low Testosterone
What is the role of testosterone?
Causes Low Testosterone is the most critical hormone in men. Low, testosterone (hypogonadism) can cause and is responsible for the male characteristics & helps maintain our sex drive, sperm production, body hair, bone, and muscle.
What’re other causes low testosterone?
(e.g., trauma, castration, radiation or chemotherapy), hormonal disorders like (pituitary tumors or diseases, high levels of prolactin), or other disorders like (chronic liver and kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, too much body fat, and type 2 diabetes and associated obesity).
How is low testosterone diagnosed and tested?
Your doctor will use blood tests to see if the total testosterone level is within the normal range. Will be 300 to 1,000 ng/dL, but this may differ depending on the laboratory and a physical exam, To diagnose low testosterone, you may need more than one early-morning (7 AM — 10 AM) blood test and, sometimes, other analyses of the pituitary gland.
How is low testosterone treated?
There are several methods of testosterone replacement; Testosterone Injections is the best meted to get the full benefits of the therapy:
• Injections
• Patches
• Gel
• Pellets
The best method will depend on the cause of the problem, the patient’s preference and tolerance, and cost.
What should you do with this information?
If you have symptoms talk with one of our specialist, an expert in hormones, can help you determine the causes. Be open with our doctor about your medical history, all prescription and nonprescription drugs, any sexual problems, and any significant changes in your life.
Many lifestyle choices and decisions can also negatively impact our natural testosterone production, including:
• Injury to the body. Any physical or psychological trauma can significantly hinder the natural production of testosterone in men.
• Getting married or having children. High testosterone in men prepares us to find a mate and have a family.
Once those goals have been met, our bodies are programmed to lower testosterone production:
• Depression
• Excessive drug use
• Excessive marijuana use
• Extreme opiate use
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• High-stress levels
• Lack of sleep or good quality sleep
• Low self-esteem
• Negative thoughts
• Unnatural glandular issues
• And much, much more…
Low Hormone Symptoms also will depend on the cause of the problem:
Causes Low Testosterone Once we hit age 30 the levels of many of our hormones begin to decline. The lean body mass (LBM) of our organs starts to decrease, whereas the adipose (or fat) mass. Between the ages of 30 and 75, the liver, kidneys, brain, and pancreas atrophy by an average of 30%. The LBM declines by ~5% in men and 2.5% in women per decade. Meanwhile, the percent of body fat increases in both sexes during the same period.
Depression impacts all of us at one time or another. It simply isn’t possible to have everything go well all the time. Plenty of people may seem to be lucky and prosperous, with the world at their fingertips. Sadly, that surface appearance completely masks the symptoms of low motivation and/or depression. Depression can hit you like a ton of bricks. The stigma associated with being a man with symptoms of depression can be even more demoralizing and add insult to injury. Most men refuse to admit to feelings of depression, let alone confront or deal with the causative issues.
Once we hit 30, the lean body mass of our organs begins to decrease, whereas the fat mass increases. Between the ages of 40 and 80, the lean body mass declines by ~5% per decade in men and 2.5% per decade in women. Meanwhile, at the same time, the body fat in both sexes increases. These physiological changes are not just an affront to vanity but are a threat to health and longevity. First, aerobic power is directly connected to the amount of lean body mass. Second, this shrinkage of vital organs means that they cannot do their jobs as well, whether it be the heart pumping, the muscles lifting, or the kidneys clearing metabolic waste from the blood. Third, the risk of heart attack, hypertension, and diabetes with an increasing abdominal fat mass.
We all have busy lives and are constantly on the go. Although most people experience sleep problems at some point in their life, one can usually identify the cause of the temporary tiredness and remedy it quickly with good quality rest. Extreme, long-term fatigue is a different story. You do not know what is causing it, and it can gradually destroy your motivation, concentration, and energy levels. Often, the people in your life do not understand what how debilitating fatigue can be.
Sleep disturbance affects every facet of our existence. Many sleep-related problems can be overcome with testosterone therapy. Men with lower testosterone levels have reduced sleep efficiency, with increased nocturnal awakenings and less slow-wave (REM) sleep. Studies have even shown that sleep disturbance caused by sleep apnea, a chronic breathing problem, may be linked to low testosterone levels.
One of the worst aspects of getting older is erectile dysfunction (ED), which causes a reduced ability to perform in the bedroom and lowers your sex drive. One of the main causes of age-related sexual dysfunction is the changes in your metabolism and hormone levels, including reduced testosterone production. Numerous studies have also linked low GH and IGF-I levels to ED.
- Decreased Sex Drive and Desire
Low testosterone often leads to a decreased sex drive. Although it is the dominant hormone in men, testosterone also plays a significant role in women. Contrary to popular belief, low libido is not related to the frequency of sexual activity or the amount of satisfaction achieved. Instead, it is determined by the body’s signal indicating sexual desire. This signal declines with age due to the body’s decreased production of testosterone.
Motivation is important for getting the most out of life; without motivation, even the most routine task can be daunting. Many people to assume if they get a good night sleep they will feel rejuvenated in the morning. When you wake your head is immediately flooded with thoughts of what you need to accomplish during the day, even if you sleep well. You might then organize your day, plan your activities, and create a map of the tasks you need to accomplish in order to have a productive day. However, if you do not have motivation then all the preparation in the world will not help you execute your plan for a productive day.
Undetected and untreated high cholesterol is a silent killer! High Cholesterol can lead to an assortment of different health problems, including heart attack, stroke, and death. Although high cholesterol is associated with overweight individuals, you can be thin and still have high cholesterol. GH is an important regulator of LDL and total cholesterol, as well as triglycerides. It lowers diastolic blood pressure by reducing the resistance of arteries and capillaries that carry blood throughout the body. Multiple studies have shown that GH can reduce levels of LDL, or bad, cholesterol.
Many symptoms of aging are a direct or indirect result of diminishing GH and testosterone levels, including low energy and fatigue. By the age of 30, most people are GH-deficient, which can result in somatotropin deficiency syndrome (SDS). Somatotropin is another name for GH. Without GH therapy, GH levels continue to decline, which is sometimes referred to as the somatopause.
Hopefully, you have been skimming through the many pages of our website to try and educate yourself about how to take charge of your life, maximize your potential, and experience life to the fullest. The only way you will ever be able to do this is if you are feeling your best, are able to produce your best, and give your best!
- Osteoporosis and Bone Mass
Osteoporosis is the gradual thinning that makes bones brittle and porous which in turn makes them more prone to fracture. If affects approximately 10 million adults in the United States, and is more common in women than men. Of people older than 50 years of age, one in two women and one in eight men are predicted to have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Individuals of Caucasian and Asian ethnicity are also at a high risk.
Think about your children or yourself when you were a child. Do you remember how many times you fell down and scraped your knee? Your arms and legs always seemed to be wearing red badges of courage. Then, a scab would form and then soon disappear, leaving absolutely no trace of the injury. However, when you are young your cells regenerate and repair at a much faster pace, and so your wounds heal more quickly and your bones knit more rapidly. All these processes are under the control of GH and other growth factors. Although GH supplementation won’t restore your healing capacity to that you experienced as a child, it will dramatically accelerate the healing process.
The thyroid and adrenal glands regulate multiple functions throughout the body. If thyroid hormone and cortisol levels are not right, the rest of the body will not function correctly; these critical hormones are just as important as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and growth hormone.
(more…)
