What Testosterone Replacement Does for Your Body
By William Lovett, M.D.
Everyone thinks of testosterone as the “sex” hormone that increases libido and makes people “horny”. But testosterone is a lot more than that. It increases energy, strength, and muscle mass, and decreases fat mass and brain fog. Normally, testosterone remains at healthy levels in men and women until about 5 years before we hit Menopause* or Andropause (male Menopause). At that point, it dips and your body suffers. This is where testosterone replacement should come in.
Study Found Testosterone Replacement is Beneficial
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association published an 18-page article in 2013 reviewing numerous investigational studies. Despite the myths and rumors surrounding hormone replacement, the researchers found that testosterone replacement in men with hypogonadism (low testosterone) is beneficial. In fact, it helps decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Morgentaler from Harvard even found that men with high testosterone levels have significantly lower risk of prostate cancer.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone
Each person experiences a unique mixture of symptoms, but the most common include:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog / difficulty thinking
- Increase in fat mass
- Sleep disturbances
- Decreased energy
- Decreased muscle mass
Overall, low testosterone sets you up for weight gain, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac disease.
Benefits of Testosterone Replacement
Every day at Your Wellness Center we see our patients’ quality of life change with testosterone replacement. Men, women, and couples find they are:
- More productive in life and at work
- Able to get off their cholesterol and diabetic medications
- Able to lose fat mass, gain muscle, and decrease their waist size
- More energetic and able to keep up with their children and grandchildren
Plus, there are a lot of “unseen” health benefits, including decreased risk of:
- Inflammatory markers
- Bad cholesterol levels
- Insulin resistance
- Dementia risk
- Alzheimer’s risk
- Prostate cancer
As you can see, testosterone replacement is more than just sex; it’s also about your quality of life!
Starting Testosterone Replacement
We are always adding new patients to our wellness family. To get started with our hormone replacement program, we start with a simple blood draw. This will determine where your hormones are compared to the healthy range. Our providers then meet with you in a one-on-one consultation to discuss your symptoms and create a plan. Please fill out our online consultation form to start, and we will contact you to schedule the blood draw.
* Assuming a woman still has her ovaries. If a childbearing woman has both ovaries removed, she experiences Menopause immediately.
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