Low Testosterone Hormone Therapy

If you have fatigue, poor concentration and erectile dysfunction, Low T hormone therapy may help. Just don't call it the fountain of youth.

Want to pump up your sex drive and muscles, boost your mood and motivation, and have the concentration and energy levels of a college undergrad? It's true that for guys who have low testosterone (Low T) hormone therapy can help address symptoms such as fatigue and erectile dysfunction, but it's not the fountain of youth and it shouldn’t be treated as an elixir for men looking to reclaim the vigor of their school years. Declining testosterone levels are a normal part of aging and don't always warrant treatment.

Be Sure It's Really Low T

Are you tired, irritable, and/or disinterested in all the things that once brought you joy, including sex? If you suspect you have Low T, your doctor can order a blood test, but only after ruling out other causes, such as depression, says Robert Brannigan, a urologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and associate professor of urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Many symptoms of Low T, such as fatigue and erectile dysfunction, mimic depression or present as a side effect of heart disease, obesity, or other health condition. It's important to figure out if an underlying medical condition, such as an autoimmune disorder, is causing your Low T.

Is Testosterone Hormone Therapy Right for You?

According to Brannigan, testosterone levels vary widely from one man to the next. Healthy men can have testosterone levels between 270 and 1,070 ng/dL. "There are very few absolute indications for treating low testosterone," he says.

In other words, treating is optional. In his practice, Brannigan follows the The Endocrine Society's recommendations: If a man doesn't have evidence of breast cancer or untreated prostate cancer; his testosterone levels are below 300; and he's bothered by symptoms of low testosterone, he's a candidate. While there's no doubt that treatment can improve the quality of life for men with low testosterone levels, there's no consensus on whether it's beneficial to men who aren't suffering from so-called "male menopause."

Benefits and Risks of Testosterone Hormone Therapy

Bringing testosterone levels back to normal can boost energy, muscle mass, bone density, and concentration. It can also help with erectile dysfunction. Hormone therapy may even alleviate symptoms of depression. But it's not without risks.

Testosterone hormone replacement therapy may encourage prostate growth and increase your risk of prostate cancer. Testosterone also lives up to its red-blooded reputation by driving red blood cell production. According to Brannigan, this can make the blood too thick and increase the risk for stroke. Other less-serious side effects include unwanted body hair, acne, breast enlargement, and fluid retention.

Low T Treatment Options

Several vehicles deliver the right amount of testosterone to replacement therapy patients:

    Injections, usually once every two to three weeks
    Daily patches worn on the body or scrotum
    Topical gels applied daily to the shoulders, arms, or abdomen

It takes at least eight weeks for testosterone therapy to take effect, and because there's no cure for Low T, men generally require ongoing treatment, Brannigan says. Because of the risks of testosterone therapy, you'll need to follow up with your doctor regularly.

Masculine Anorgasmia

This sexual problem is fond in a minority. With any masculine orgasm disorder, it is a good idea to start off by considering the physical aspects (physiological or medical) to discard them, if that is the case. Moreover, it will be necessary to go into the psychological aspects.

With respect to the physiology of the masculine orgasm phase, we have to say that it consists of three sub-phases: sperm emission; formation of pressure chamber, and seminal expulsion.

During the emission, the contraction of the internal genital muscles transports the whole of sperm to the posterior urethra. Following that, due to the sympathetic stimulus, the internal and the external urethral sphincters, contract. When the inframontanal urethra relaxes, it forms the so called “pressure chamber”, that contains the semen stored there. Lastly, the clone-tonic contraction of the periuretral and perennial muscle increases the semen pressure in the posterior urethra. This forces the opening and provokes the relaxation of the external urethral sphincter, at the time that it projects the semen to the exterior between 3 and 5 shots.

During the emission, most men experiment the subjective impression equivalent to the ejaculatory imminence or “point of no-return”.

Like the rest of sexual disorders, the orgasm disorders take place in heterosexual or homosexual people and relationships.

In the masculine orgasm disorder, be it premature or retarded ejaculation, generally is referred to in relation to the sexual intercourse of vaginal penetration, for heterosexuals. In homosexual relations between men, it refers in relation to the anal coitus.

The key factors to its diagnosis are the same for heterosexual and homosexual males, no matter if it takes place in the vaginal or anal penetration, and is generalized to all penetration form, or it happens in all sexual practices.

In general, ejaculation is identified with orgasm, even if non pleasant ejaculations take place, without any medical explanation. It is believed that the main reason is that brain does not perceive the ejaculation signal, and if it does not get it, it does not translate it either as pleasure.

Ejaculatory control is one of the main concerns in males with respect to their sexual performance. To get to know when it is the best moment to ejaculate can become sometimes in an intense worry and can generate anxiety.

Trial and error affect some males negatively. It can undermine their self-esteem and their confidence in relation to their sexual performance. This may show up as a lack of ejaculatory control, in which the male has difficulties to get an orgasm and ejaculate.

There are different types of exercises and techniques, as a part of sexological therapy, to resolve the orgasm disorders in males (and females).

The length of therapy will depend on various issues, such as the degree of severity of the problem.