Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) has become a popular topic of discussion, especially as more men become aware of the impacts of low testosterone levels on their health and well-being. Whether you’re experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, considering TRT, or simply curious about the subject, it’s essential to have accurate information.
In this blog post we spoke to Alphagenix Lead Clinician, Dr Max Draper, to address some of the most frequently asked questions about TRT and low testosterone in general. From understanding the symptoms and causes to exploring treatment options and potential risks, this FAQ will provide you with the insights needed to make informed decisions about your health.
Common Causes of Low Testosterone
Classically people tend to think of testicular issues causing a primary picture, and brain issues causing a secondary picture.
Testicular issues can include things like local trauma to the testicals or, in Dr Max’s case, testicular cancer. But if you’re looking at the brain you can consider traumatic brain injuries, local radiation, or tumours causing pressure issues.
However, what we’re seeing a lot of nowadays is young men coming in with poor levels of testosterone being caused by lifestyle factors – high levels of body fat, visceral fat, high levels of insulin resistance, inflammation, not sleeping as well as they should be, and excess stress.
A big factor is in the environment, these days more than ever we are being exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals and they’re sadly having a knock-on effect on young men’s hormones, as well as older men’s.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone
There are three main areas when it comes to symptoms of low testosterone: mentally, physically, and sexually. It might affect you in all those areas, or it might affect you in just one or two of them.
Mentally what we commonly see is:
- Brain fog and poor ability to concentrate
- Low mood, apathy and sometimes even depression
- Anxiety is common, particularly for younger men
Physically often we see:
- Lack of energy
- Unusual aches and pains
- Sleep becoming disturbed and lower quality of sleep
People tend to be more aware of the sexual symptoms, but these include:
- Lack of libido
- Less morning erections
- Less quality erections
These are the most common symptoms of low testosterone that we see, but again you don’t need to be suffering from all these to have low testosterone.
Aims of TRT
TRT has two key aims. Firstly, as you might expect, to resolve the symptoms of low testosterone.
Secondly, we want people on TRT to feel better and live a happier, healthier, and potentially longer life.
Is TRT the same as taking steroids?
The short answer is “No.”.
The longer explanation is that steroids are hormones that people take to enhance gym performance, in an attempt to grow an abnormal amount of muscle.
TRT is simply correcting poor levels of testosterone, so men feel better and healthier. You do get some physical performance and muscle mass benefits alongside this, but what you are essentially doing is correcting a hormonal issue.
What are the benefits of TRT for mental health?
This very much depends on how low testosterone is affecting the individual in the first place, but what we commonly see is men feeling clearer headed and having less brain fog. They feel more driven and more motivated, which will often lead to a better mood overall.
When you couple this with better stress resilience, reduced anxiety and better sleep quality, you can see how all of these things over time can make a dramatic difference to how someone is feeling, particularly when they are willing to put in the effort looking after their lifestyle as well.
Can TRT Cause Heart Disease?
Much like a lot of the concerns regarding testosterone treatment, when you look at the science, untreated low testosterone appears to increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and even death.
TRT is correcting a hormonal deficiency, reducing inflammation, reducing things like triglyceride, and improving overall well-being and health. So, we can safely say that TRT potentially reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Does TRT Cause Prostate Cancer?
This is another myth that should have been put to bed a long time ago. There are studies that have been done on this – TRT does not increase your risk of prostate cancer and in fact it looks like low testosterone is not good for your prostate health.
So, much like all the science, it points towards low testosterone being bad for you and TRT correcting that poor state of health.
Who should get checked for low testosterone?
If you have any symptoms of testosterone deficiency that we mentioned earlier, it makes sense to get bloods done – and we don’t just mean get a total testosterone check, because you’re going to miss other things.
You could also argue that as men get older it should be included in a general health check because we know low testosterone is a bad marker of long-term health outcomes, so with 1 in 4 men suffering from low testosterone it makes sense to consider getting it checked annually.
If you want to discuss anything you read in this article or you’re thinking of starting TRT yourself, head to our Contact Page and book in a complimentary call at a time that suits you with one of the professionals at Alphagenix.