Testosterone is arguably the most important hormone in the male body. Healthy levels of testosterone maintain your sex drive, keep your mood up, regulate your sleep, and so much more! Testosterone levels decrease as men age, but some men experience a faster decline in their testosterone levels than others, and this can lead to life-interrupting symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with low levels of testosterone, your doctor may want to start you on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to the basics of testosterone replacement therapy, and we’ll also give you some tips that can help you raise your testosterone levels.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy
You might be wondering if testosterone replacement therapy is safe and effective, and the answer is that testosterone replacement therapy is both highly effective and safe. While there are many forms of testosterone replacement therapy, including pills, patches, and gels, Men’s Vitality Clinic in Tucson exclusively uses injections.
Testosterone injections are perhaps the most common form of testosterone replacement therapy, and with good reason. Injections are typically administered into the deltoid or gluteal muscles every seven days, and most men see their symptoms improving in as little as two weeks!
Many men who begin receiving testosterone injections see benefits such as:
- Increased libido
- A lessening of or a dissolve of depressive symptoms
- Increased muscle mass and fat loss
- Improved energy levels
Weight Loss
We noted above that natural declines in testosterone levels are expected as men grow older, and while this is true, there’s an important caveat that needs to be made. While testosterone levels do decrease as men grow older, low testosterone levels in older men are more likely to be caused by weight gain than they are to be caused by ageing.
Testosterone injections can help your body regulate your fat distribution, which is a crucial component of increasing your testosterone levels. In fact, carrying excessive deposits of fat, particularly in the midsection, can be a cause of low testosterone levels. Nearly three-quarters of obese men (meaning a body mass index greater than 40 kg/m²) have been found to have low levels of testosterone.
Diabetes
Diabetes and low testosterone share a deep connection. Men with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely as men without diabetes to have low levels of testosterone. Of course, this doesn’t mean that low levels of testosterone levels cause type 2 diabetes, but many researchers have suggested that the lifestyle factors leading to type 2 diabetes diagnoses may increase a person’s risk for low levels of testosterone. Managing your diabetes is something that should be discussed with your doctor. Regularly scheduled checkups can ensure that your diabetes is properly managed and that your testosterone levels are healthy.
Men’s Vitality Center in Tucson has helped hundreds of men restore their health through testosterone replacement therapy. We offer diabetes management, weight loss management, physicals, and so much more! You don’t have to live with the symptoms caused by low testosterone. Contact our office for an appointment if you’re concerned about your testosterone levels.