What Is Low Testosterone?
Low testosterone occurs when the body produces less of this important hormone than it needs. Testosterone is often associated primarily with male virility, but both males and females need this hormone for weight maintenance, energy levels, bone strength, sex drive and more. However, low testosterone is more common in men than in women. At our practice, we will start with a blood test and a detailed review of your symptoms by one of our providers. According to the American Urology Association, total testosterone below roughly 300 ng/dL is considered low testosterone.
What Are the Symptoms of Low Testosterone?
Low testosterone can cause persistent fatigue that does not improve with sleep. It is also related to reduced muscle mass despite consistent training and an increase in visceral fat that resists dietary changes and exercise. Visceral body fat is stored deep within the abdominal cavity, wrapping around internal organs like the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Sexual symptoms, like reduced libido, weaker morning erections, difficulty maintaining an erection, and reduced semen production, can often be traced back to hormonal imbalances. Approximately 50% of men experience complete erectile dysfunction when their testosterone levels drop. Our free hormone imbalance quiz for men can help you identify patterns worth discussing.
What Causes Low Testosterone
- Age-Related Decline: Testosterone production typically drops about 1% per year after age 30, which adds up by midlife. This is often referred to as andropause or “manpause.”
- Primary Testicular Issues: Direct damage from injury, infection, chemotherapy or undescended testes can limit how much hormone the testes can produce.
- Pituitary or Hypothalamic Dysfunction: When signaling hormones from the brain are disrupted, the testes never receive the message to produce testosterone.
- Chronic Illness and Medications: Type 2 diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, opioids and long-term corticosteroid use all suppress testosterone levels.
- Lifestyle Inputs: Poor sleep, chronic high stress, heavy alcohol use and very low body fat from overtraining can lower hormone output.
- Environmental Exposures: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastics and pesticides have been associated with lower testosterone in men.
Who Is Affected By Low Testosterone?
Low testosterone is most often diagnosed in men over 40, but younger men with certain conditions or situations can also experience clinically low levels. Athletes who train at very high intensity without adequate recovery can also experience low T. Our patients across the San Francisco Bay Area come from a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
Treatments for Low Testosterone
BHRT
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy uses hormones derived from plant sources that match the molecular structure of what your body produces. This similarity allows your body to recognize and use the hormones that we administer the same way it uses ones it makes on its own. BHRT often translates to fewer side effects and more effective results than other types of hormone therapy.
TRT
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) also restores testosterone levels through a measured supply. The most common protocol we use involves the use of testosterone cypionate as a weekly subcutaneous or intramuscular injection that you can self-administer at home. We calibrate the dose based on your lab results and then train you in the office on how to administer the medication. We periodically reassess your levels and make adjustments as needed.
Sexual Health Optimization
We may combine TRT with additional men’s sexual health services to optimize sexual health. Treatments may include PDE5 inhibitors to increase blood flow and treat erectile dysfunction and low libido, EPAT or shockwave therapy to break down plaque and improve the symptoms of ED, and regenerative treatments like the stem cell penile shot and the Climax PRP Shot, which help many of the most stubborn cases and improve the health of tissues and penile blood vessels.
Testosterone Boosters
When a man is still producing enough of their own testosterone, but not at optimal levels, they may benefit from clomiphene (AKA chlomid), enclomiphene and other medications that can increase a man’s testosterone production without supplementing testosterone from an outside source. This is beneficial for men who wish to push out the onset of andropause and continue to produce their own testosterone for longer.
Peptides
Peptide therapy helps support the hormonal environment that testosterone operates within. Sermorelin and ipamorelin prompt your pituitary to release more growth hormone naturally, which complements testosterone’s effects on lean mass, recovery and sleep quality. Gonadorelin and HCG help maintain natural testicular function during TRT, which is important for fertility preservation.
Estrogen Blockers
Some testosterone converts to estradiol through an enzyme called aromatase. When that conversion runs high, men can develop water retention, mood changes or breast tissue sensitivity. Anastrozole reduces this conversion, and male patients on testosterone therapies take anastrozole as part of their treatment plan to avoid the overproduction of estradiol.
Schedule Your Medical Evaluation for Low Testosterone in Hayward, CA
If symptoms have persisted despite lifestyle adjustments, lab work is the next step. Balanced Medical Solutions provides physician-supervised testing, treatment and follow-up for low testosterone in Hayward, Oakland and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call us at 510-679-3300 or request an appointment online to begin today.
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