Do I Have Low Testosterone? 13 Symptoms to Look for

Low Testosterone: Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Symptoms may also be caused by other conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. If any of these symptoms are bothering you, talk with your provider. For example, it is normal to feel less interested in sex as you get older. If you’re low on testosterone, it can affect focus, memory, and mental clarity. When testosterone drops, you may notice your strength decreasing, even if you’re sticking to your workout routine. While this drop is normal, some men experience symptoms that interfere with their daily lives.

If we can pinpoint the reason a man’s testosterone levels are low, treating the underlying condition might be the first step toward improvement. For example, if a man has low testosterone due to obesity, we might suggest weight loss, a healthy diet, and exercise. Sometimes, men don’t produce enough testosterone (this is called hypogonadism or “low testosterone”).

Our urology team offers safe and effective treatments to help men with low testosterone levels. Our urologists can prescribe Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) through pills, shots, creams, or patches to increase the levels of testosterone in your body. Produced by the pituitary gland, luteinizing hormone spurs testosterone production by the testes. If LH levels are abnormal, there could be a problem with pituitary gland function or a hormone disorder.

A healthcare provider can evaluate if a person has low testosterone and what may be causing it. Once the cause is determined, the right treatment course can be decided. Below are medical treatments that can be used to treat low testosterone. Testosterone levels tend to decrease in men as they age, so low testosterone is a fairly common condition. You may feel like you don’t have as much energy as usual despite having plenty of sleep.

Testosterone deficiency syndrome is also called low testosterone and hypogonadism. Studies aren’t settled on just how do you test for low t low testosterone levels cause irritability, difficulty concentrating, and other symptoms of anxiety. However, there could be a link between low testosterone and a disruption in neurotransmitters like serotonin which can contribute to anxiety. Because testosterone has several key functions across the body’s energy processes, when levels of this hormone are low, many physiological processes are affected.

You may also be able to get the medicine without injections by using a nasal pump. Your  testosterone levels can swing up and down between doses. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and steroid medicines can also affect testosterone levels. Males with low testosterone may experience extreme fatigue and decreased energy.

Some men go to their doctor’s office to receive testosterone injections. Frequency can vary from one injection every week to one injection every 10 weeks. (Most men have an injection every 2 weeks.) Shots may be placed just under the skin or directly into a muscle. The average life expectancy is more than 76 years, and if you reach age 65, you can likely count on an additional 18 years. That’s great news until you realize that you could be living more than two-thirds of your life with significantly less testosterone than you started with.

A testosterone deficiency occurs when the body does not produce enough testosterone. Diagnosis is based on typical symptoms and low testosterone levels in the blood. Have you noticed some significant changes in your energy levels, sexual desire, or body composition? Even if you work out regularly or try to stay active, you will likely notice some significant emotional and physical changes if your testosterone levels have dropped.

People with high testosterone levels can find it difficult to achieve erections, and people with low levels the opposite. A noticeable drop in libido is one of the most common signs of low T. If your interest in sex has faded significantly, it could be linked to declining testosterone levels. The bottom of a man’s normal total testosterone range is about 300 ng/dL, and the upper limit is about 800ng/dL, depending on the lab. In general, levels below 300 ng/dL combined with symptoms are indicators of testosterone deficiency. Our physicians are experienced in treating the complete range of urologic conditions and diseases, from kidney stones and sexual dysfunction to prostate cancer, incontinence and infertility.

Testosterone stimulates osteoblasts to deposit bone, so if your T levels are low, you may make less bone. “Fortunately an increased boost in energy is one of the first things I hear from my guys I put on TRT,” says Calvert. While you can blame forgetfulness or not feeling as sharp as you once were on getting older, these could also be signs that your testosterone is low. The relationship isn’t completely understood, but researchers suspect that testosterone acts as a vasodilator, allowing more blood flow into the penis, says Calvert. Without enough testosterone, blood may not be able to enter the penis and allow it to get rigid enough for sex.