A man's ability to produce testosterone begins to decline around age 40, and levels continue to drop by 1 to 3% a year later. It's important to note that just because levels drop after 40 doesn't necessarily mean that all men are eligible for therapy. Low testosterone levels cause different symptoms at different ages. Testosterone levels in adults (AMAB) naturally decline as they age.
This includes cisgender men, non-binary AMAB people, and transgender women who do not undergo feminizing hormone therapy. A man's testosterone levels naturally increase greatly after reaching puberty and then naturally decrease after age 30 by about 1% each year. So, to a certain extent, aging can cause a man to have lower testosterone levels. Testosterone production generally declines with age.
According to the American Urological Association, about 40 percent of men age 45 and older have low testosterone levels. You may hear about free testosterone or bioavailable tests for testosterone. They are not the same as total testosterone level tests. Ask your doctor about the differences and if you need these tests.
In recent years, the media have published more information about testosterone therapy (TT), and more men between the ages of 40 and 64 have been tested and given TT. Some men with certain symptoms may even want to undergo a diagnostic test. This action may not be safe or useful for them. The total testosterone level should always be tested before any TT.
It also has enough information about the effects of testosterone injections along with the answer to the question “how long does a testosterone injection last”. Health problems such as obesity or extreme weight loss, along with type 2 diabetes, obsessive sleep apnea, excess estrogen, hypothyroidism, delayed puberty, and excessive exposure to radiation can also negatively affect a person's testosterone levels. In the same way, the male body also produces the hormone associated with the female sexual organs known as estrogen, only at much lower levels to function properly. Testosterone helps produce and strengthen bones, so men with low testosterone levels, especially older men, may have lower bone volume and be more susceptible to bone fractures.
Healthcare providers treat low testosterone levels (male hypogonadism) with testosterone replacement therapy. In patients who remain stable with TT, total testosterone and certain other laboratory tests should be checked every 6 to 12 months. When researchers administered testosterone gel to anemic men with low testosterone levels, they saw an improvement in blood counts compared to men who used a placebo. The lack of testosterone production in the testicles, now wrinkled, causes them to shrink and weaken due to bone mineral density.
Healthcare providers and medical researchers don't know how to prevent low testosterone levels due to genetic conditions or damage to the testicles, hypothalamus, or pituitary gland. When the liver produces a lot of enzymes to break down excess testosterone, it tells the brain. Both the pituitary gland and the penis gland stimulate testosterone production in the adrenal glands and testicles. Again, testosterone replacement therapy takes 3 to 6 months to receive testosterone injections every few weeks to make it work significantly.
Since testosterone levels tend to be higher in the morning, many doctors like to test for low testosterone early in the day. Testosterone levels naturally decline as men age, but other conditions or circumstances can also cause low testosterone levels. Men who were born with Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes men to be born with a combination of XXY chromosomes, also tend to have low testosterone levels. .
