Lots of men with low testosterone have reported an improvement in sex drive, energy levels, and mood after doing testosterone treatment. So if your testosterone levels are low, you may think you need to replace them.
Not so. By itself, a low testosterone level does not need treatment. Testosterone replacement therapy can have risks in the long term as it comes with many side effects and benefits that are not known.
The only instance, where testosterone replacement therapy is recommended is for men with low blood and low testosterone levels and those who can confirm that these symptoms are a result of having low testosterone.
Only in this case should testosterone replacement be considered together with the following testosterone supplements. Having an honest conversation with your doctor is the best way to determine whether testosterone replacement therapy is right for you.
The benefits of testosterone replacement therapy
Have you thought about the things you can anticipate from testosterone treatment? The truth is, this is not possible to predict, simply because every man is built and created differently. Several men have reported an improvement in sex drive, better quality erections, and energy levels. In addition, testosterone is also able to increase muscle mass, bone density, and insulin sensitivity in some men.
Males have also reported an improvement in their mood after doing testosterone replacement. These effects could be hardly noticeable as the measure of change is noticed by the individual.
The risks of doing testosterone replacement therapy
Common side effects of doing testosterone replacement therapy include itching, a rash outbreak, or irritation on the place where the testosterone was applied.
In addition to that, there’s an increased risk of getting a stroke or heart attack when you apply testosterone. Experts highlight that the benefits and risks of testosterone therapy in the long term are not known. This is because big clinical trials haven’t been performed yet.
There exists a couple of health conditions that experts believe testosterone therapy can make worse:
Prostate cancer – testosterone can trigger the growth of prostate cancer. A majority of experts recommend screening for prostate cancer before starting testosterone replacement. That said, males with elevated prostate-specific antigen or prostate cancer should certainly not go through this testosterone treatment.
Benign prostatic hypertrophy – under the stimulation of testosterone, the prostate grows naturally. For many males, their prostates expand and become bigger with age, which then squeezes the tube that carries their urine (known as the urethra). The outcome of this is the person concerned may find urinating difficult. So testosterone therapy can contribute to worsening this situation.
Congestive heart failure – males who experience drastic congestive heart failure should not take testosterone replacement in most cases, because it can make the condition worse.
Conclusion
Many years will pass before large clinical trials bring the answers that we seek about the risks and benefits of testosterone replacement therapy in the long term. Just like any other medication, the choice on whether the benefits will outweigh the risks is completely up to your doctor and yourself. So make the wise choice.