What is Testosterone and Hypogonadism Low T?: Ross Medical Group: Family Medicine

What Is Testosterone and Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

Testosterone tests are performed to determine the amount of testosterone in a blood sample. A nurse or technician may give you testosterone as a shot directly into a muscle. You can also learn how to give the shot to yourself at home.

By age 40, a women’s testosterone production is half as much as she produced at age 20. Hysterectomy with or without removal of the ovaries will cause a more significant decline in testosterone levels. Also, high levels of stress can divert the precursors for testosterone hormone production in women over to cortisol production and create a further reduction in testosterone. High stress levels can also contribute to symptoms earlier in the peri-menopause when a woman is in her late thirties or early forties. This means less energy, insomnia, brittle hair, less bone and muscle strength, foggy thinking, irritability, and a diminished sexual drive. While testosterone is an androgen, or male sex hormone, both men and women have, and need, testosterone.

They will also check your blood pressure and red blood cell count. Also note that testosterone undecanoate has been FDA-approved only for men who have low testosterone caused by medical conditions. It has not been approved for men who have low testosterone caused by aging. Before prescribing oral testosterone, your doctor will take your complete medical history and conduct tests.

Stopping testosterone may also lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor can order testing and prescribe treatment if you have concerns and the measurement shows that your testosterone level is high. While testosterone is the primary male hormone, women’s bodies also need the right amount for optimal health. As a woman enters menopause, her estrogen level drops, affecting her estrogen-testosterone balance.

If you’re not feeling like yourself and you suspect that your hormones might be to blame, it’s important to know more. You can do this by reaching out to your doctor or by taking a male hormone test to check in on your hormone health. The complex effects of testosterone, investigators found, depend partly on its conversion in the body to a type of estrogen. The insights will help guide the development of better ways to diagnose and treat men who don’t produce enough natural testosterone.

Your doctor can help you to understand what your test results mean in context. And while it’s true that men’s testosterone levels gradually decline as they age, there are cases where testosterone levels can be abnormally low and cause negative symptoms. If necessary, there are ways to increase testosterone through lifestyle changes and hormone replacement therapy. Testosterone is made in males in Leydig cells in the testes. There’s also a small amount made in the ovaries in females, and in both sexes is made in the adrenal glands which sit on top of the kidneys. Testosterone levels will slowly decrease with age, but this shouldn’t cause any issues.

You may need this test if you have symptoms of low testosterone and diet (orichmed.com) testosterone. If you stop TRT, the symptoms of low T usually come back, so you may have to stay on the drug for life – unless you decide you don't want to be treated anymore. You can also get addicted to anabolic steroids, even though they don't produce any "high." One downside is that these pills are expensive and may not be covered by insurance, unless you've tried other methods of treatment and had no success or bad side effects. This may look like a pill, but it sticks to your upper gums.

So, before you call that low-T clinic or click on an outlandish ad for testosterone-boosting supplements, find out what's at stake for your health. There are safer, more cost-effective options to restore youthful energy – and potentially reverse fertility loss from previous testosterone products. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. While receiving this medicine, you will need frequent blood tests. Do not use testosterone if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment. Use effective birth control while you are receiving this medicine.