How Testosterone Therapy Can Boost Your Overall Wellness

Average testosterone levels in men have declined by more than half over the last half-century, and many men are feeling the impact. Here, we look at how testosterone therapy can make up the difference.

A recent meta-analysis found that average testosterone levels in men have decreased by an astonishing 54% between 1972 and 2019. While many factors were behind this collective drop, the good news is that we have a solution in testosterone therapy.

For men, testosterone is not only a reproductive hormone; it should also be considered an overall wellness hormone because its absence can be felt from head to toe.

As a urologist and men’s health specialist, Dr. Robert J. Cornell sees firsthand the many ways in which low testosterone levels can affect men, which is why our practice provides both testosterone therapy and complementary therapeutic peptides.

In the following, we look at how low testosterone levels affect men and how testosterone therapy can improve wellness and quality of life.

Testosterone and your health

The role that testosterone plays in a man’s health is far from small. For starters, testosterone is responsible for your male characteristics and ability to reproduce.

Outside of these more direct influences, testosterone casts a wide net over your health that includes multiple organ systems. To give you an idea, here are areas of your health where testosterone plays a role:

Muscle mass
Fat mass
Bone density
Libido
Insulin sensitivity
Mood
Energy

If you look at this from the other side, low testosterone levels can have a negative impact on your mental health, your sexual health, your musculoskeletal health, your metabolic health, and more.

Why testosterone levels are falling

We began this discussion by citing a new meta-analysis released this year that found that collective testosterone levels have fallen by more than half over the past 50+ years. Researchers point to several factors for this concerning decline:

Obesity
Diabetes
Environmental factors that disrupt hormone levels

Some scientists even point to higher-than-normal temperatures around the world that may impact human endocrinology.

The trend of lower testosterone levels in men is being recognized by the FDA, which is actively taking steps to broaden testosterone therapies. Currently, the FDA approves testosterone therapy, “Only for men with specific forms of hypogonadism tied to known structural or genetic causes.”

Given the emerging research supporting the much larger impact of diabetes, obesity, and environment on testosterone levels, the need for testosterone therapy becomes much larger. And we’re responding.

Restoring health through testosterone therapy

To determine whether you can benefit from testosterone therapy, we look at the issue from several angles.

To start, we typically begin by measuring your testosterone levels to provide us with a clear picture of your total testosterone levels. This number, however, can be tricky because it doesn’t paint the entire picture, such as the bioavailability of testosterone.

Because of this, we also thoroughly review your symptoms. Bear in mind, low availability of testosterone can lead to a wide range of seemingly unrelated symptoms, so leave it to us to connect the dots. In other words, please share any changes you’re experiencing, including mental health issues like depression or anxiety.

Once we have the information we need, we can tailor a testosterone therapy protocol that’s designed to improve your health and wellness. Of course, we can make tweaks along the way to optimize the therapy and make sure your body has the hormones it needs for optimal function.

If you’d like to determine whether you can benefit from testosterone therapy, we invite you to contact our Houston office today to schedule a consultation.