The benefits of testosterone replacement therapy

Let’s start with a quick recap in case anybody has missed the buzz around TRT. For various reasons, the natural production of testosterone can slow down or become low in the body. Testosterone replacement therapy is a way of restoring testosterone levels to where it should be for the body to function correctly. Once a man reaches 30, the natural production of testosterone declines by around about 1% each year.

Some people might not experience any symptoms that suggest their testosterone levels are dropping, but for others, there can be some damaging low testosterone symptoms. The level of testosterone in the body can also be affected by any damage to the testicles from diseases such as cancer.

They would also decrease if a person suffered from genetic problems that delayed or prevented sexual development or suffered from a pituitary gland issue. So, for lots of reasons, testosterone replacement therapy could be a really good step for some people.

Benefits of testosterone replacement therapy

• Improvements in Cognition and Mood
• Improvements in Sex Drive and Libido
• Recover Erectile Dysfunction
• Increased Strength and Muscle Mass

1. Improvements in cognition and mood

Although it may not be massively noticeable to start with, as testosterone declines, it can affect mental cognition and mood. Men can find themselves suffering from brain fog where normally easy mental tasks, such as arithmetic, remembering information, or even concentrating, can become much harder, and this is very frustrating. It can also be quite scary, and many people approach their doctor thinking something more sinister is going on in their bodies.

However, a simple course of testosterone replacement therapy can actually improve all of the symptoms. It’s interesting because, conversely, women who are approaching menopause also suffer from the same issues proving just how important certain hormones are in the body. While this tends to be extensively discussed, male brain fog due to ageing and lower testosterone levels is rarely talked about, but the problems can be just as challenging and having a solution can really change someone’s life.

2. Improvements in sex drive and libido

Again, there are lots of reasons why men may suffer from low libido and a lack of sex drive. Testosterone is a very important hormone for sex drive, and studies have been carried out in various scenarios to see what effect TRT has. Type two diabetes is a known problem when it comes to sexual desire.

A lot of men who have the condition are no longer particularly interested in sex and struggle to maintain erections. However, a study carried out in 2017 by Hackett et al. suggested that once testosterone replacement therapy was started, this problem improved, and for most participants, their libido returned within the first six months of treatment.

So, if the natural ageing process, combined with other conditions, is frustrating and squashing your sex life, testosterone replacement therapy could well help you recover a balance.

3. Recover erectile dysfunction

Not only does the desire to have sex have to be present, but an erection must be maintained. If the desire is there, but you can no longer sustain an erection, this could be caused by low testosterone levels. There are other issues that can cause erectile dysfunction, so it’s always worth getting it checked out, but if nothing comes of the testing, TRT could be the answer.

4. Increased strength and muscle mass

When testosterone levels start to decrease naturally, men will also notice that their physique has changed. It becomes harder to build muscle mass and strength and much easier to accumulate fat.

The middle-age spread affects many people, both male and female, but for some men, low testosterone is going to be the most devastating factor. Building muscle mass is a complex process, and testosterone can help the neuromuscular function; this, in turn, helps build strength, and it also speeds up the protein synthesis that we need for muscle growth.

A man with high testosterone levels usually demonstrates lower levels of abdominal body fat and visceral fat. Having too much abdominal or visceral fat is very bad for health and can lead to early death. The role of testosterone replacement therapy here is limited, and it must be noted that although it will help increase muscle mass, it does not enable you to shed already accumulated body fat any better. This must be done with a healthy diet and workout regime.

That said, a good level of testosterone in the body will make it easier to stick to diets, and therefore you should find body fat easier to lose.

5. Improvements in bone density

Another aspect of male ageing that never gets discussed is bone density. Again, this is published all the time when it relates to women and menopause and their risk of osteoporosis. Men are also at risk of bone density levels dropping when testosterone levels drop off, so it’s actually quite important that this issue gets more attention.

There is plenty of evidence that men are equally vulnerable to suffering from age-related bone breaks, especially in the spine. There is a direct correlation between bone density and testosterone levels, so this is another valuable benefit of testosterone replacement therapy.

In conclusion

There are actually plenty of benefits for men using testosterone replacement therapy, but it’s important that an experienced practitioner carries out the treatment. It’s not a widely offered treatment, and therefore, research should be carried out before deciding whom to work with. It can take around six months for the treatment to rise, and some men do have issues when testosterone levels are artificially increased.