Testosterone deficiency is usually caused by too much training, intoxicants, or poor eating and sleeping in young men.
From the past more men under the age of 40 suspect that they suffer from a testosterone deficiency and apply for testosterone measurements without a referral, says the doctor in charge of urology at the medical center Mehiläinen Henrikki Santti.
“This is where we go in the wrong direction in a certain way: first we find out that I have low testosterone, and only then does the man start to think and realize that I have a bit of fatigue and lack of desire for sex. Actually, first there should be clear symptoms of testosterone deficiency, and only then is it time to do different tests,” says Santti.
Docent of reproductive medicine at the University of Turku Antti Family room has recognized the same phenomenon. Some men look for testosterone deficiency as a solution to problems that are not actually related to it.
Sometimes a testosterone deficiency is actually found in men under 40 years of age, but according to Perheentuva, it is often a temporary disorder, the background of which can be, for example, too hard training, insufficient eating, intoxicants or a bad night's sleep. The younger the man is, the more likely it is that there is some lifestyle reason behind the testosterone deficiency that needs to be corrected.
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Sometimes testosterone deficiency is actually found in men under 40 years of age.
Santti says that men's testosterone production begins to decline slowly after the age of 40. Men's testosterone deficiency is sometimes referred to in the public as male menopause, but according to Santi, the term is incorrect. Men's testosterone deficiency is in no way comparable to women's menopause, i.e. the waning and eventually shutting down of ovarian function, which happens to all women.
“Testosterone deficiency in men is a phenomenon related to aging, but above all to overweight and other diseases, which progresses very slowly and only rarely causes symptoms.”
According to Santi, men's testosterone deficiency is when low testosterone is found in several measurements and it is accompanied by symptoms caused by a drop in testosterone, such as decreased sexual desire or erectile dysfunction. Testosterone deficiency has also been associated with other symptoms – decreased performance, depression, fatigue and lack of motivation – but if these are not associated with sexual symptoms, according to Santi, it is probably not a testosterone deficiency.
“The problem is that these are all very common symptoms, but the fact that they occur together with a decrease in testosterone is clearly less common. For example, erectile dysfunction can be related to coronary artery disease or diabetes, but their background can also be, for example, psychological or life-related reasons,” says Santti.
The family guide says that testosterone deficiency is very rare in healthy and normal-weight 40-50-year-olds, but people at this age tend to accumulate excess weight, which significantly increases the risk of testosterone deficiency.
According to a family member, only five percent of 70-year-old healthy men of normal weight have a testosterone deficiency that causes symptoms. In overweight men of the same age, testosterone deficiency is found many times more often. Testosterone deficiency is also more common in men with underlying diseases.
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Men's testosterone deficiency is sometimes referred to in the public as male menopause, but according to Santi, the term is incorrect.
When if a symptomatic testosterone deficiency is diagnosed, treatment begins with lifestyle changes, says Perheentupa.
“If no young man smoked or was overweight, the number of erectile dysfunctions would be pretty much non-existent. Then we take care of getting enough sleep, the right kind of nutrition and the right amount of exercise. If these things don't improve the situation, you have to think about starting testosterone treatment,” says Perheentupa.
From time to time, he comes across young men who wish to undergo testosterone therapy, but change their minds when they learn that testosterone therapy significantly reduces fertility. If the man intends to have offspring, testosterone treatment is excluded.
Family room would like doctors and patients to also remember that treatment should not be started with too low a threshold. When the treatment is stopped, it takes time before your own testosterone production starts working again, which can cause very difficult symptoms of testosterone deficiency.
“The same situation also applies to users of anabolic steroids, although of course they have a much more dramatic situation when the hormone concentrations are wildly higher: when they try to leave steroids out”, their own testosterone production can be at zero for a long time.
According to a familiar estimate, about half of the men who are decided to start testosterone treatment get rid of their symptoms. So the rest of the symptoms of testosterone deficiency have probably been caused by something else.
The family center reminds that for many, even a low testosterone level does not cause any symptoms. If the treatment does not eliminate the symptoms, even though the testosterone level has risen to normal, there is no point in continuing it.
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