Understanding How Testosterone Affects Men National Institutes of Health NIH

What Is Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

High levels of testosterone in female infants may lead to enlargement of their clitoris that can look almost like a penis. It can also lead to precocious (early) puberty, which is when puberty begins before the age of eight. It’s unlikely — and difficult to tell — that a male adult has higher-than-normal levels of testosterone. The two charts below list the general normal ranges of testosterone based on age and sex. Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland control the amount of testosterone your gonads (testicles or ovaries) produce and release.

The pituitary gland sends a signaling hormone to the testicles to produce more testosterone. There’s a wide range of normal or healthy levels of testosterone circulating in the bloodstream. Testosterone deficiency during fetal development doesn’t allow male characteristics to develop normally. This is called androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and occurs when someone is genetically male but is insensitive to androgens (male sex hormones). If any of these organs — your hypothalamus, pituitary gland or gonads — aren’t working normally, that can cause abnormal testosterone levels. Some athletes and bodybuilders misuse synthetic testosterone (anabolic steroids) by taking very high doses of them in an attempt to boost performance or change their physical appearance.

Still, new research suggests that testosterone may play an important role in cognitive function. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly. The law does not require herbal supplements to be proven safe before sale, so caution is advised. They are often used to support weight loss and muscle-building. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can help restore some affected functions of low testosterone.

From there, the testosterone enters your bloodstream to be distributed throughout the body to aid in the aforementioned functions. There is currently no scientific consensus about the exact cutoffs for healthy testosterone levels. The American Urological Association defines low testosterone as a level of total testosterone below 300 ng/mL. However, there is a lot of variability in the results obtained in different laboratories, because small differences in testing technique can have a significant impact on the results. The best advice is to use the reference ranges provided by your lab, in order to determine whether your levels are low or high for your age and sex.

It is a type of androgen produced primarily by the testicles in cells called the Leydig cells. The number of prescriptions for testosterone supplements has increased fivefold since 2012. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. Find out what’s known — and not known — about testosterone therapy for normal aging.

Hormones are chemicals that your body makes to control a range of essential functions, from sleep cycles and mood to sex drive and fertility. Humans have more than 50 different hormones;  testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for male characteristics. If you cannot take TRT or get unwanted side effects, speak to your doctor about other testosterone treatment options. Lifestyle changes can improve testosterone levels with the help of natural testosterone boosters, or you may be able to treat the cause of the problem. The signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency usually only affect males who were assigned that gender at birth. In medical terms, low testosterone is called male hypogonadism.

Our team specializes in identifying low testosterone, and we’re here to help you find the  treatment that works for you. We start by reviewing your medical history and your symptoms, using this information to reach a diagnosis. Here’s what you should know about testosterone’s main functions and what are the effects of low testosterone can affect your T levels. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor.

But there are a lot of misconceptions about what the treatment can and can’t do for you. He reported in The Lancet that his vigor and feeling of well-being were markedly restored but the effects were transient,[222] and Brown-Séquard’s hopes for the compound were dashed. Suffering the ridicule of his colleagues, he abandoned his work on the mechanisms and effects of androgens in human beings. Reduced testosterone production, a condition known as hypogonadism, doesn’t always require treatment. The production of testosterone starts to increase significantly during puberty and begins to dip after age 30 or so. Producing too little or too much testosterone can affect your physical and mental health. But having high cholesterol doesn’t mean your testosterone will be high.

There is a potential for serious side effects to an unborn child. Talk with your care team about your birth control options while taking this medication. If you have diabetes, check with your care team before you change your diet or the dose of your diabetic medication.

Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it’s unclear whether testosterone therapy would benefit older men who are otherwise healthy. All of this reduces the active (free) form of testosterone in the body. More than a third of men over age 45 may have reduced levels of testosterone than might be considered normal (though, as mentioned, defining optimal levels of testosterone is tricky and somewhat controversial). Among women, perhaps the most common cause of a high testosterone level is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you think you may have symptoms of low testosterone or excess testosterone, talk to your healthcare provider. It affects male fetuses as they develop in the uterus, as well as teenage sexual development during puberty. AIS prevents male genitals from developing as they should and almost always results in infertility (it’s difficult or impossible to father children) during adulthood.