The Many Faces of Low Testosterone in Men

Are you feeling sluggish, less motivation than in the past?  Starting to gain some weight and not feeling as strong as you were in the past?  Low testosterone in men is not just going to cause problems with erectile dysfunction and lower sex drive, it causes many changes in the body that lower your quality of health. In this article we will discuss the signs and symptoms of low testosterone and what you can do naturally to raise your testosterone levels.

Fatigue/Lack of Motivation

This is actually one of the first symptoms we see as testosterone levels decline.  There is less of a drive to accomplish tasks, less fulfilment in the tasks you accomplish.  Studies are now linking drops in dopamine levels (the motivator hormone) to lower testosterone production.

Slower Metabolism

Testosterone is a catabolic hormone, meaning it improves the building of tissues such as bone and muscle.  It improves utilization of fuel at the cellular level.  As levels of testosterone go down, fuel utilization decreases which causes a build up of sugars in the blood stream which turn to triglycerides and are stored as fat.  We can see this on labs with elevations in fasting glucose, Hemoglobin A1c, and triglyceride levels.  You can see it as elevations of weight on the scale, and your pants not fitting as well.  Lower testosterone can be the cause of developing metabolic syndrome and the development of diabetes.

Loss of Muscle Mass

With a slower catabolism, the muscle cells cannot get the fuel they need to repair muscle tissue and build new muscle tissue, leading to a wasting away of muscles.  Oftentimes the size of the muscle does not decrease but the proportion of muscle to fat deposits in that area is decreased.  You may feel this as weakness, an inability to accomplish the same tasks of lifting or a lack of endurance with exercise.

Loss of Bone Density

This is a late sign of low testosterone, but again with lower fuel available to bone tissue and less muscles pulling on the bone, the density of the bone decreases over time.  This can lead to osteoporosis and increased risk of fractures.

Night sweats

This is another late sign of testosterone deficiency, but it is not just the women that get night sweats with dropping hormones. 

Low libido

If your desire to be intimate with your partner is decreasing, this may be an earlier sign of low testosterone.  This may also happen if there are stressors in your relationship, but if your sex drive is decreasing you may want to have your testosterone levels checked.

Erectile dysfunction

This is the most disturbing symptom of low testosterone to men, which is why Viagra and Cialis are such big sellers at the pharmacy.  Difficulty in attaining and/or maintaining an erection, decreased sensation during intercourse, decreased morning erections are also earlier symptoms to dropping testosterone levels.  There are other causes for erectile dysfunction but testosterone levels should be checked before starting medications such as Viagra or Cialis, due to the other health issues that are caused by low testosterone.

Testing Hormone Levels

When testing for hormone levels I strongly recommend a comprehensive male hormone panel that includes Testosterone total and free, Estradiol, Complete Metabolic Panel, Complete Blood Count, and PSA Total and Free.  There are some instances where testosterone replacement is contraindicated such as if you are converting your testosterone into estrogens, adding more testosterone will only make the issue worse.  Also, if you have prostate cancer or enlarged prostate, testosterone can make these conditions worse.  It is not a firm contraindication with enlarged prostate but caution and testing to make sure the condition is not worsening is warranted. 

 Improving Testosterone Production Naturally

There are many ways to increase your testosterone levels.  High intensity exercise has been shown to increase it naturally, some of my regular weight lifters have the highest testosterone levels as they age. Detoxing can help which usually includes a specific dietary plan to accomplish. Far-infrared sauna has been shown to increase testosterone production.  Competition has also been shown to increase testosterone secretion.  We may use other nutritional supplements to accomplish this but it depends on what the labs show on the way we go about it.  If levels are very low and the natural treatment does not work well enough, we may prescribe testosterone.

 Testosterone is a very important hormone in men to maintain the quality of health with age.  If you are suffering from any of the symptoms above, I strongly recommend scheduling with a provider that is experienced in male hormone replacement.  If you are on hormone replacement and the labs listed above have not been run on you, consider having them evaluated.  Testosterone replacement can cause more damage than good in some men.