Nov 08 2024 2 mins 4
When I wrote this a dozen years ago, I said, “There has been a lot of hype about testosterone the last few years. I say hype because the claims have run way ahead of the science.”
Science has mostly caught up, so I’ve modified accordingly.
There are those who claim testosterone replacement is the next best thing to the fountain of youth. You gain muscle, you lose weight, your sex drive and function return to how things were when you were twenty. You sleep better, depression vanishes, you have more energy, you think more clearly, and you’re able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. At best, these are exaggerations of effects seen in some men.
It is looking like there are no simple “dose related” effects for testosterone, meaning you can’t get more of what testosterone does just by having more testosterone in your system. Above a certain level, adding more does nothing good, and can do harm. Studies show that in men with testosterone in the normal range, actual levels had nothing to do with sex drive, or sexual frequency. And if low T is killing your erections, it’s so low you have no interest in sex.
One big problem is we don’t have a handle on what “normal” levels means. Look at two men with the same levels of testosterone and one is showing signs of low testosterone, while the other is not. The first might benefit from testosterone supplementing, the second will not.
At this point, in 2024, it looks like the benefits outweigh the risks for most men. This is where your doctor comes in. You can get a testosterone prescription online without giving much information. Please don’t do that. It’s quick and there is no embarrassment, but you’re bypassing the safety of dealing with a doctor who knows your unique health situation.
What about women? Testosterone has been suggested as a cure all for low sex drive in women, and especially in post-menopausal women. Thing is, a well done study found that higher levels of testosterone in women resulted in them having an increased desire to masturbate, but not to have sex with a partner. No one has done a study to see if giving women testosterone increases their desire to masturbate, but it seems likely this is the case. Hardly the result most men want! Recent research has found low levels of testosterone to be fairly safe for women, but I still can’t find solid evidence it results in more or better sex.
More reading:
- Is testosterone therapy safe? Take a breath before you take the plunge – Harvard Health
- Testosterone Side Effects – Drug Watch
- Manly’ Hormone Turns Women onto Masturbation (But Not Sex) – Live Science
- The Safety of Testosterone Therapy in Women – University of Toronto
[This post first appeared Sept 29, 2012.]
Image Credit: © Paul H Byerly created with stockdreams.ai
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The post FF: Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Separating Fact from Fiction first appeared on The Generous Husband.
