What is Testosterone Therapy?

Are you a man suffering from low energy levels, decreased libido and depressed mood? Maybe it's because of your testosterone level. Low testosterone in a man has been found to be the reason behind many male health concerns such as erectile dysfunction, loss of body hair, a decrease in muscle mass, irritability, inability to concentrate and an overall poor sense of well-being.

Who should get Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

Testosterone Replacement Therapy has many side-effects. Additionally, the long-term effects of the treatment cannot be predicted. So simply having a low level of testosterone in your body is not enough reason for you to go ahead with testosterone replacement therapy. If your doctor finds that your blood levels reflect low testosterone which is causing you to experience symptoms of low testosterone – only then should you proceed with testosterone replacement therapy.

How is testosterone therapy administered?

There are many ways that can be used to improve testosterone levels in a man. These are –

• By using gels – Clear testosterone gels such as AndroGel and Testim are available in packets. Patients are advised to apply the gel onto their skin once every day and the testosterone contained in the gel is directly absorbed by the skin. Another testosterone gel, Natesto is supposed to be applied inside the nose.
• By using dermal patches – Testosterone can be administered by skin patches like Androderm which is to be worn on the arm or upper body.
• By using oral patches – The tablet Striant sticks to the upper gums above your incisors and constantly releases testosterone into your bloodstream through your oral tissues. Striant should be applied twice a day.
• By injecting/implanting – Those suffering from low levels of testosterone in their body can also choose to inject/implant it into their body. The injections are given to the muscles and the implants are placed in the soft tissues. The testosterone in these is slowly absorbed into your blood.

Testosterone pills are also available but mostly advised against as they can cause significant liver damage. The methods discussed above directly enter your blood circulation without passing through your liver and are therefore recommended over orally administered testosterone pills.

Benefits

Body chemistry is different in every individual - and so, the general consensus about the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy cannot be arrived at. However, men have reported positive results such as improvement in bone density, insulin sensitivity and muscle mass.

Why testosterone replacement therapy and not steroids?

Performance-enhancing drugs used by athletes and bodybuilders contain testosterone too. Then why don’t we use these to increase testosterone levels in our body instead? Well, this is because the level of testosterone contained in these steroids is generally more than the natural average contained in an ordinary male human body. Testosterone patches and gels only contain the amount of testosterone that will bring up the testosterone in your body to its former healthy level and no more. Plus, performance-enhancing drugs also contain added compounds to accelerate muscle-building that a regular man with low testosterone does not need. So, testosterone replacement therapy is a better option for you if you want to treat symptoms of low testosterone in your body than in taking steroids.

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