Low Testosterone Low T: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Low Testosterone: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Low testosterone levels can affect your libido and cause physical changes, sleep issues, and trouble with emotional regulation. Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is a type of secondary male hypogonadism that results from normal aging. As males age they have a deterioration of hypothalamic-pituitary function and Leydig cell function that decrease testosterone and/or sperm production. Conditions that affect how long does ashwagandha take to work for testosterone your hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland cause secondary hypogonadism.

Sometimes low-T is caused by medical conditions, such as genetic diseases or past chemotherapy or radiation therapy. More often, symptoms can be linked to sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, anxiety, or depression. But if you do not have any key symptoms, especially fatigue and sexual dysfunction, which are the most common, it is not recommended you go on the therapy given the uncertainty about long-term safety.

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So while low testosterone can indirectly influence hair loss by affecting DHT production, hair loss itself is not an immediate sign of low testosterone levels. The key factor remains a genetic sensitivity to DHT, not testosterone levels in the body. If you’re starting to notice a little less hair on your scalp, your testosterone levels – whether high or low are not to blame. Low testosterone is often mentioned in discussions about hair loss, however, this hormonal deficiency isn’t a direct cause of balding.

Blood is drawn for a total testosterone level, PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen), along with a comprehensive panel. A week later, the medical provider will review the lab results and adjust the prescription, if needed. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a substance that brings oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.

If your work or home life has changed dramatically for the worse, a full medical checkup might help find the cause. A blood test can show whether you have low testosterone levels. When you start to lose weight and extra body fat from dieting, you may lose some muscle. If you are overweight, eat a healthy diet to reduce the extra poundage, especially around the middle. Males with low testosterone may experience extreme fatigue and decreased energy.

Some evidence suggests that men who eat more dark, leafy greens have higher testosterone levels than those who do not. Regardless of the reason you’re experiencing low testosterone, treatment options are available to increase testosterone or reduce unwanted side effects. If they do, lower testosterone levels may not be the only cause. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is not commonly caused by low testosterone production. In cases where ED accompanies lower testosterone production, hormone replacement therapy may help your ED. For each year over age 30, the level of testosterone in men starts to slowly dip at a rate of around 1 percent per year.

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. Often, we find that anxiety or depression – not hormonal imbalances – are the root cause of low-T-like symptoms.