Most men understand that testosterone is the hormone that makes them uniquely male. It attributes to muscle growth, body hair, deeper voices, and all their sexual functioning. However, beyond that, it may be a mystery. However, when things start going wrong, or you start having health problems, you don’t understand, knowing more about testosterone and how it impacts the body can be crucial.
What is testosterone?
The short answer is that testosterone is a hormone. While both men and women have testosterone, it is predominantly found in men. It is an androgen hormone that creates the physical attributes most commonly associated with being male. It is produced in the testes and the adrenal glands. While males are born producing testosterone, it increases dramatically when a boy reaches puberty, which is what leads to growth spurts and bodily changes.
What does testosterone do?
Testerone is found in both men and women, but it is significantly higher in men. It leads to growth spurts, voice changes, body hair, and sperm production, as well as aggression and sexual drive. Testerone can directly impact bone density, fat distribution, and muscle development. It also aids in the production of red blood cells. For a man, testosterone directly affects how you feel because it influences so many aspects of your physical condition. Young men often have very high sex drives because they get a surge of testosterone during puberty.
What happens when you have low testosterone?
Many men experience a decrease in their testosterone levels as they age. The lower levels can lead to erectile dysfunction, decreased sex drive, stomach fat, loss of body hair, loss of muscle mass, infertility, and the development of breast tissue. Low testosterone levels can also lead to the development of diabetes. When testosterone levels decrease, so will the natural sex drive. Separate from possible problems with erectile dysfunction, you may lose interest in sex.
What causes low testosterone?
There are a variety of health conditions that can cause low testosterone. Physical injury or trauma to the testes can interrupt the blood flow and produce low testosterone. Likewise, an infection in the testes commonly called orchitis can also lead to low testosterone. It can also be caused by certain types of cancer, chemotherapy, alcohol abuse, Cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure, HIV/AIDS, inflammatory diseases including sarcoidosis, as well as some types of medications, including opioids and steroids.
Other possible causes include uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, radiation exposure, and congenital defect. One of the most common reasons that men often don’t want to face is aging. As men get older, they will produce less testosterone.
How do you combat low testosterone?
One option is to treat the underlying cause of the decrease in testosterone. If your low-levels are caused by a controllable or treatable condition like sleep apnea, obesity, alcoholism, or diabetes, seeking treatment for the cause can decrease the symptom of low testosterone.
If it is caused by something like medication or treatment, you can see what your other options are for your condition. You can also seek out medications that will treat symptoms such as testosterone supplements. Depending on the cause of the problem, supplementing with testosterone can alleviate some fo the difficulties you are experiencing.
You can also try over-the-counter supplements like Erectin that can treat the symptoms of low testosterone associated with low sex drive. Erectin is a balance of ingredients to help with blood flow and sperm production. You can read an Erectin Review to learn more about the benefits you can anticipate, as well as a list of ingredients that go into it to help you feel normal again safely.
