If you’re experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, such as a decrease in sex drive and hot flashes, talk to a healthcare provider. Conditions that affect how your hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland cause secondary hypogonadism. This is known as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism because there are low levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Those low levels cause decreased testosterone and sperm production. Having male hypogonadism can affect your self-image and, possibly, your relationships. Talk with your health care provider about how you can reduce the anxiety and stress that often accompany these conditions.
LH then travels to your gonads (testicles or ovaries) and stimulates the production and release of testosterone. Your pituitary also releases follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to cause sperm production. Risks from testosterone therapy are most often due to doses that are too high. Many of these side effects go away when the dose is lowered.
Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which your testicles don’t produce enough testosterone. It has several possible causes, including conditions or injuries affecting your testicles, pituitary gland or hypothalamus. Another name for primary hypogonadism is hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. The high levels of these hormones would normally tell your testicles to produce more testosterone and sperm. However, if you have damaged (most commonly related to prior chemotherapy) or missing testicles, they can’t respond to the increased levels of gonadotropins. As a result, your testicles make too little or no testosterone and sperm.
For older adults who have low testosterone and symptoms of hypogonadism due to aging, it's less clear how well testosterone replacement works. Causes of primary and secondary hypogonadism are also divided into either congenital (at birth) or acquired (developed later in childhood or adulthood). It stimulates the development of male characteristics and is essential for sperm production (spermatogenesis). Levels of testosterone are naturally much higher in men than women. There's often no way to help men with primary hypogonadism make sperm. But there are ways to help couples who haven't been able to have children.
Your provider will test your blood level of testosterone if you have signs or symptoms of hypogonadism. Because testosterone levels vary and are generally highest in the morning, blood testing is usually done early in the day, before 10 a.m., possibly on more than one day. Your hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers your pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH).
That's why it's so important to have regular follow-up visits with a health care professional, who will monitor the testosterone pellet cost (https://speech-language-therapy.com) levels in your blood. If you’re taking hormone replacement therapy, regular follow-up appointments with a healthcare provider are important. The mortality of men with testosterone deficiency is significantly higher than among men with normal testosterone levels. But, it is unclear whether replacing testosterone to a normal level reduces that increased mortality. Treatment is largely focused on the treatment of symptoms, not the specific testosterone level.
In one study, 30% of men who were overweight had low testosterone, compared to only 6% of those with weight in the normal range. In another study, 25% of men with Type 2 diabetes had low testosterone, compared to 13% of those without diabetes. Data suggest that about 2% of men may have low testosterone.
However, consistent hormone replacement therapy helps improve sex drive, ease symptoms of depression and increase energy levels for those experiencing low testosterone. Sometimes in primary hypogonadism testosterone levels are within the normal range and gonadotropins are high. Your specialist will help you understand if you need treatment, even with normal testosterone levels. Anyone taking testosterone replacement should have a medical checkup and blood tests several times during the first year of treatment and yearly after that. This is to see how well the treatment works and to watch for side effects.
And other studies have estimated that more than 8% of men aged 50 to 79 years have low testosterone. It’s difficult for researchers to estimate how common low testosterone is since different studies have different definitions for low testosterone. If any of these risk factors are in your family health history, tell your doctor.
Finding the cause of hypogonadism is an important first step to getting appropriate treatment. Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which your testicles don’t produce enough testosterone (the male sex hormone). More specifically, the Leydig cells in your testicles make testosterone. You can be born with male hypogonadism, or it can develop later in life, often from injury or infection. The effects — and what you can do about them — depend on the cause and at what point in your life male hypogonadism occurs. Some types of male hypogonadism can be treated with testosterone replacement therapy. For congenital hypogonadism, testosterone replacement therapy often helps prevent problems related to delayed puberty.
