The Advantages of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) for Men in Developing Muscle and Increasing Libido

For American men of all ages, testosterone insufficiency, also known as “low T,” is a public health catastrophe; our levels have dropped sharply in recent years and are expected to keep falling in the absence of intervention.

Let’s examine the signs, reasons, and, most importantly, the help Aesthetics of Central Texas can provide if you are one of the thousands of men in San Marcos who suffer from low testosterone to increase your levels and restore your manly vigor.

What Signs and Symptoms Indicate Male Low Testosterone?

Here are (some of the) signs and symptoms of low T, in brief:

• Muscle loss
• Low libido
• Fat accumulation, especially around the middle (also known as “beer gut”)
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Poor sperm quality
• Low energy levels (chronic fatigue)
• Poor concentration/memory
• Cognitive issues
• Anxiety, depression, and various other emergent mental health issues

Without ever addressing the underlying cause, many doctors may advise patients with testosterone deficiency to take medications to treat the symptoms (phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors like Viagra or Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction, for example). This can cause years to be added to your life unnecessarily.

Any male exhibiting the aforementioned signs ought to get his testosterone levels evaluated (more on diagnosing testosterone deficiencies later).

What Causes Low Testosterone?

Low testosterone in men can be caused by a variety of factors, such as:

• air and water pollution
• poor dietary choices (the “soy boy” issue)
• stress
• food additives that imitate estrogen
• Aging

Age has traditionally been the most important predictor of low T, but as we’ll see in the next section, men and even boys are developing deficiencies at younger and younger ages.

What Affects the Levels of Testosterone in Men as They Age?

For most guys, the peak of their testosterone production occurs in their late teens or early 20s. Male sex hormone blood concentrations in 17- to 18-year-old young men normally vary from 300 to 1,200 ng/dL, which accounts for their stereotypically strong libido and limitless energy levels.

The average man’s T count declines steadily after this peak in adolescence at a rate of about 1% every year. This means that a 70-year-old guy may only keep half the T levels of a 20-year-old, which is poor news for virility and energy. A 45-year-old male only has 75% of his peak T counts at this age.

No Longer Just an Issue for Older Men: Testosterone Deficiency

Sadly, in today’s society, no male, not even a boy, is immune to the effects of environmental variables that decimate testosterone levels in the general population.

The shocking drop in testosterone in male teenagers and young adults is described in the findings of a recent 2020 study, which were published in European Urology Focus:
“Testosterone deficiency has a prevalence of 20% among adolescent and young adult (AYA) males… After controlling for confounders, we found that mean TT levels declined over time: TT levels were lower in the later (2011-2016) than in the earlier (1999-2000) cycles… We conclude that TT levels have been declining in young adult men in recent decades.”

The Risks of Untreated Low Testosterone for Long-Term Health

Testosterone receptors, also known as “AR receptors,” are found in many different organs throughout the body. The male sex hormone is essential and necessary for all organs, not only the reproductive system, to function physiologically at their best.
As a result, low testosterone is linked to a number of men’s age-related, chronic health issues, including:
“Chronic illnesses are associated with an overt TD [testosterone deficiency]. Both chronic diseases and low T can be involved in determining symptoms present in subjects complaining for sexual dysfunction. This should be considered in the diagnostic workup for TD.”

Negative health effects of untreated low testosterone in males include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Anemia, which could result in chronic renal failure
• Atherosclerosis, which results in heart disease;
• Osteoporosis (age-related weakening of the bones)
• Sarcopenia (age-related muscle atrophy)
• Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative conditions

So basically if you are a male over 40 who is exhibiting any of the signs of low testosterone that we discussed in the preceding section, you very likely have a low level of testosterone. When your doctor has a suspicion that you have low testosterone levels, the next step is to get diagnostic blood work done (by an accredited lab) to support or refute the hypothesis.

Let’s talk about how low T is diagnosed with that in mind.

How is Low T in Men Diagnosed?

Men can easily be diagnosed with low testosterone by a simple diagnostic technique. Basically, the procedure proceeds like this:

• Man visits a doctor and describes his symptoms.
• The doctor then performs a physical examination and asks pertinent questions about the patient’s symptoms and medical history.
• The patient then goes to a nearby lab for a quick blood draw.
• The lab analyzes the patient’s blood sample to find levels of testosterone and related hormones.
• The doctor then sees the patient again to go over the lab results.
• If necessary, the doctor and patient work together to create the best treatment plan.
• Finally, the therapy is started.

Results start appearing in as little as two weeks, with the greatest advantages appearing about a year later.

The hormones that the blood tests will likely measure include:

• Total testosterone
• Free testosterone
• Estrogen (it’s not just for women, very important for men too)
• Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (which binds to testosterone).

The Benefits of Bioidentical Hormones

Because bioidentical testosterone is molecularly identical to naturally occurring versions of the sex hormone produced in men’s testes, it is appropriate for all forms of HRT, including TRT, wherever possible.
Here are a few benefits of bioidentical testosterone over other types:

• Safer than alternatives
• More easily absorbed
• More cost-effective
• Fewer negative effects (bioidentical hormones produced in the US are compounded in FDA-approved facilities)

ACT: Expert BHRT Providers in San Marcos, TX

The time to take action is now if you’re an older man experiencing any of the low T-related symptoms that we previously covered.

Regaining your youthful energy is fully feasible with the right therapy interventions – therapies in which we excel – regardless of your age or the severity of your insufficiency.

We’re honored to assist the men of San Marcos and the larger Central Texas community in reclaiming their masculinity.

To begin the process of healing, get in touch with us right now. Most patients who receive TRT with bioidentical hormones have a significant increase in their health; in fact, many TRT patients refer to their health and wellness improvements as “miraculous.”