Unsure if your testosterone levels are where they should be? Are you worried about aging or perhaps fertility? A testosterone test can answer your questions.
One out of every four men over the age of 30 has low testosterone.
If that didn’t register as shocking news, it should!
Testosterone plays a vital role in the overall health of a man. It affects matters from your sex life to your mental abilities to your heart health.
If you want to be sure your levels of testosterone are healthy it might be time to take a testosterone test.
What Testosterone Does For You
Testosterone (T) plays a large role in the male appearance. What makes you look like more like a man than a woman is the result of proper hormone balance. Testosterone is known as the male sex hormone, though women have small doses of it too.
Your T level affects many aspects of your life. Due to the fact it’s a sex hormone, people assume T only matters in your sex life. But it’s responsible for much more than that.
On a cognitive level, T affects your level of competitiveness, aggression, self-esteem, and dominance. A lack of confidence and low self-esteem are symptoms of low T levels.
You may remember that pivotal moment when you first began to grow hair on your face, arm pits, and genital region. All of that was due to T. A low level of T can show itself through loss of body hair and reduced speed of hair growth.
Testosterone also affects your ability to gain and retain muscle strength by increasing levels of tissue growth and growth hormones. It also makes your bones stronger and fat burn faster. Men with low T are susceptible to more breaks and sprains.
Low T levels can also greatly affect your libido and your ability to perform in bed. Erectile issues in men over 40 are common and often distressing. If you’re not ready for your sex life to stop or slow down, it’s time to think about your T levels.
Testosterone Levels: What’s Normal?
Your body begins to produce T as early as seven weeks after being conceived. You hit your peak levels of T in your late teens.
After this peak time during puberty, T levels will plateau until your 30s. Then your T level may begin to drop by 1% every year. People who are obese almost always have low T levels.
The normal range for T levels in adult men is 300-1,000 nanograms per deciliter. The normal level for women is between 15 and 70 nanograms per deciliter.
Here are the most common symptoms of low T:
- erectile dysfunction
- low sex drive
- extreme fatigue
- difficulties conceiving a child
If your T levels are abnormally high, it can be an indication of testicular cancer or other serious conditions. If your T levels are unusually low, you might have issues with your pituitary gland it might be a symptom of a chronic illness.
Being aware of your testosterone levels is an important way to keep yourself healthy and happy. If you’re wondering about your T levels, it’s time to consider getting a testosterone test.
Getting a Testosterone Test
There are a couple different ways to test your testosterone levels.
It’s often a blood test that can be performed in a doctor’s office. The test will usually be done in the morning because that’s when T levels are at their highest.
Your doctor will ask you to stop taking medication that might affect results shortly before the test.
Here is a list of things your doctor will most likely ask you to stop taking before your testosterone test:
- Androgen therapy
- Any steroids (more on this later)
- Estrogen therapy
- Anticonvulsants
- Barbituates
- Clomiphene
Testosterone levels can severely drop when you stop taking steroids. Talk to your doctor about the best way to wean off them before your test.
If the medication you’re taking has opiates in it, your T levels might seem artificially high on the test.
Your doctor may choose to do a physical exam to gauge your T levels if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Notable loss of height
- Decreased facial hair
- An unusual increase in breast tissues
- Sudden weight gain
There are also at-home testosterone tests available. These tests are called Sal-T tests because they use your saliva to test your T levels.
After you carefully follow the test instructions, you send your sample away for to a laboratory. Some doctors doubt the accuracy of these tests, but many large scale studies have shown them to be relatively accurate.
Blood tests, however, are the safest and most sure way to get a full picture of your testosterone levels.
How to Treat Low Testosterone
There are several ways to treat low T, but the most common treatment is testosterone replacement therapy or TRT.
TRT can involve an injection, a topical cream, or a skin patch.
It isn’t a treatment option that is meant only to enhance your sex life or aid your sessions in the gym. It’s also aimed at treating the secondary effects of low T.
Some of these secondary symptoms include sleep issues, low energy, muscle weakness, lack of concentration, muscle loss, and weight gain.
If you want to live a healthy, happy, and whole life as a man then replacement therapy might be right for you. If you’re concerned about your T levels it might be time to get a testosterone test.
Contact us today with any questions you might have about how TRT can play a role in your life.
