High & Low Testosterone Levels: Symptoms, Signs & Side Effects

Testosterone therapy: Potential benefits and risks as you age

The half-life for IM testosterone was also shorter at 173 hours versus 240 hours for SQ testosterone. Mean testosterone values over a 7-day time period were 1,659, 896, and 422 ng/dL for IM testosterone SQ 100, and SQ 50, respectively. Abnormal testosterone during puberty can impact the onset and course of male puberty. In males who have finished puberty, low testosterone may be caused by thyroid or testicle issues or chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Testosterone levels don’t stay the same throughout your lifetime.

By measuring the total level of testosterone in your body, you can identify any factors that might interfere with sex drive (libido), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass or production of red blood cells and sperm. At this time, it is unclear whether TRT increases the risk of prostate cancer or symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, based on inconclusive data, the FDA does warn of a possible increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Some of these signs and symptoms can be caused by other factors, including medication side effects, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, diabetes and depression. It’s also possible that these conditions cause low testosterone levels, so treatment might result in increase of testosterone levels.

By Julie MarksMarks is a Florida-based health writer with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and creative writing. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. This thyroid test package can reveal insights into your overall health. Effects before birth are divided into two categories, classified in relation to the stages of development. Symptoms of low testosterone can vary considerably, particularly by age. Testosterone is necessary for fetal development during pregnancy because it helps control the development of the male reproductive system. This article will use the terms “male,” “female,” or both to refer to sex assigned at birth.

Some doctors suggest that monitoring testosterone levels every five years, starting at age 35, is a reasonable strategy to follow. If the testosterone level falls too low or if the individual has the signs and symptoms of low testosterone levels described above, testosterone therapy can be considered. Testosterone is considered to be the “male hormone” that’s produced in men by the testes. Sometimes in primary hypogonadism testosterone levels are within the normal range and gonadotropins are high.

Chemotherapy treatment for cancer, chronic steroid use, genetic conditions, and eating disorders are just a few of the possible causes. Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it’s unclear whether testosterone therapy would benefit older men who are otherwise healthy. Testosterone therapy might seem like the ultimate anti-aging formula.

Today these evidence-based guidelines statements represent not absolute mandates but provisional proposals for treatment under the specific conditions described in each document. For all these reasons, the guidelines do not pre-empt physician judgment in individual cases. Treating physicians must take into account variations in resources, and patient tolerances, needs, and preferences.

But it’s important how to decrease testosterone levels in females get to the bottom of the problem so we can treat it properly. Low testosterone often results in low semen volume, which may affect fertility because your sperm rely on this milky substance for maximum motility. Kevin M. Pantalone, DO, ECNU, FACE, is a staff endocrinologist and director of clinical research in the department of endocrinology at Cleveland Clinic. Endocrine Society is a global community of physicians and scientists dedicated to accelerating scientific breakthroughs and improving patient health and well being.

At hospital admission, men with severe COVID-19 had average testosterone levels of 53 nanograms per deciliter; men with less severe disease had average levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. By day three, the average testosterone level of the most severely ill men was only 19 nanograms per deciliter. Men’s testosterone levels in the blood are thought to fall with age, although this may actually be more related to diseases that occur with age.