Men have testosterone which is a hormone in their body that provides them with their manliness. A man’s testicles produce testosterone which is what causes their muscular build, deep voice and facial hair. It also promotes:
Men reach their maximum testosterone level at around 17 years old, according to the Harvard Health Publications at Harvard Medical School. After this, when they’re around their 30s and 40s, their levels of testosterone plateau and start to gradually slide. Their levels of testosterone will be about 50 percent of what their levels were during their prime when they reach approximately 80 years old. Low testosterone levels in men are “male menopause” or andropause.
If you’re a man with low testosterone levels you will likely turn to testosterone therapy to increase your levels of testosterone and feel more:
You have some options for testosterone therapy.
Testosterone replacement therapy helps restore levels of testosterone when men have abnormally low levels. When a man’s testosterone level is low, it can affect his regular body functions, contributing to a lower sex drive, reduced muscle mass and other effects.
One particularly common form of testosterone replacement therapy is testosterone injections. Your doctor prescribes these and you don’t require injections as often as other forms. Your doctor will inject different formulations every seven to 14 days. For several days, you may experience high testosterone levels following your injection. Your levels will come down slowly and your energy and mood levels fluctuate, spiking at first and then trailing off.
Other types of testosterone replacement therapy are:
When receiving this type of therapy, the doctor will keep checking your testosterone levels with frequent blood testing and check for side effects. Side effects may include blood clots (rare), increased number of red blood cells, breast enlargement and acne.
Another option for treatment is bioidentical hormone therapy which treats your testosterone deficiencies without exposing you to synthetic hormones or chemicals. Bioidentical hormones are taken from animal and plant sources.
Another name for bioidentical hormone therapy is natural hormone therapy since the bioidentical hormones act like your natural hormones your body produces. Bioidentical hormone therapy restores and optimizes your testosterone levels when your body can no longer produce sufficient levels.
Bioidentical hormone therapies are effective, safe and medically proven. You may benefit from this therapy if you’re between the age of 35 and 75 and feel tired and depressed, weak, unmotivated and are gaining weight.
Low testosterone symptoms can affect your quality of life. Some symptoms you may experience include:
If you notice any of these symptoms and suspect you may have low testosterone levels, consult with us here at Gershon Preventative Medicine. We provide patient-focused Hormone Replacement Therapy for men (and women) in Virginia Beach, VA. We tailor treatments to your specific needs.
