Low Testosterone in Men
Not medical or professional advice. Always seek the advice of your physician.
Testosterone is the main sex hormone that is responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics.
- Muscle mass.
- Red blood cell count.
- Bone density.
- Sense of achievement.
- Sexual and reproductive function.
Testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol in the testes and adrenal cortex. The body produces 5-12 mg of the male sex hormone during the day. Different men have different minimum levels of testosterone in the body. It depends on many factors: ethnicity, geographic location, age, and even time of day).
Testosterone levels during fetal development and in the first months of life of male infants are almost the same as in adult men. The level of hormones usually drops during childhood and gradually increases by the age of 11-12. Then, testosterone levels rise significantly during puberty and stabilize by the end of this period. A man's testosterone levels decline on average about 1% a year after age 35.
Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which the testes do not produce enough testosterone.
The Role of Testosterone in a Male Body
Fetal Development
Provides differentiation of the external and internal genital organs, the formation of the central nervous system and the hypothalamus. Provides testicular descent into the scrotum a couple of months before birth.
Puberty
- Stimulates puberty and body growth.
- Forms physical characteristics specific to a male body.
- Stimulates the development and growth of sex organs.
- Stimulates the formation of male secondary sexual characteristics (hair growth, voice deepening, fat distribution).
- Contributes to the development of the sebaceous glands.
- In Adulthood, Testosterone is Responsible for Other Functions
- Stimulates sperm production.
- Promotes potency and libido.
- Stimulates muscle growth.
Additional Functions of Testosterone
- Stimulates protein synthesis (it is responsible for muscle growth).
- Improves metabolism, preventing excessive fat deposition.
- Helps to cope with stress (by inhibiting the hormone cortisol).
- Stimulates the production of cartilaginous tissue and hampers the growth of tubular bones.
Low Testosterone Causes
- Anorchia (absence of testicles).
- Klinefelter's syndrome (the presence of an extra female sex X chromosome) and other congenital genetic disorders.
- Infectious and inflammatory lesions of the testicles.
- Testicular tumors.
- Testicular trauma.
- Pituitary dysfunction following traumatic brain injury or tumor.
- Intense chronic stress.
- Bad habits: alcohol and drug use, smoking.
- Excessive weight, obesity.
- Chronic diseases: diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, thyroid dysfunction and kidney disease.
- HIV/AIDS.
- Use of certain hormonal drugs.
- Radiation or chemotherapy.
- Use of anabolic steroids.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone
Decreased production of testosterone can occur during fetal development, before puberty, or during adulthood. Symptoms of the disease depend on the onset of the pathology.
Fetal Development
A male child can be born with various genital abnormalities. It depends on the time hypogonadism occurs and the amount of testosterone.
- Anorchia (absence of testicles).
- Female genitals.
- Atypical genitals (the genitals do not seem to be clearly male or female).
- Underdeveloped male genitals.
Puberty
- Poor muscle development.
- Reduced growth of facial and body hair, or female-pattern hair growth.
- Excessive growth of the arms and legs in relation to the trunk of the body.
- Overdevelopment of the mammary glands (gynecomastia).
- Disproportionate tall stature.
- The development of female-pattern obesity.
- Small penis size.
- Lack of pigmentation and folds of the scrotum.
- Reduction in testicle size.
- Abnormal development of the prostate gland.
- High-pitched voice.
Adult Men
- Reduced sex drive.
- Decreased sperm production.
- Decreased stamina, fatigue and sleepiness.
- Hair loss slowed hair growth on the head and body.
- Sweating.
- Poor memory, difficulty concentrating.
- Sadness, apathy, irritability, depression.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Infertility.
- Decrease in muscle mass.
- Breast development (gynecomastia).
- Bone loss (osteoporosis).