9 Common Low Testosterone Symptom That Affects Your Body
Are you experiencing any low testosterone symptom? Do you an idea how it affects your body? Testosterone is very important not only for revving up your sex drive but for muscle building too. But testosterone receptors circulate all over the body, from the bones to the blood vessels to your brain. Hence, you have deficiency on testosterone, the health effects could go beyond the bedroom and the gym.
Below are the nine most common low testosterone symptoms but they are not solid proof of low T. To confirm, you will two blood tests that show low levels – often around 300 nanograms per decilitre or even lower, depending on the lab. Your doctor will provide an official diagnosis if you have low testosterone.
Fortunately, if low T is the true culprit, most of the low testosterone symptoms can be reversed, or at least alleviated, with testosterone therapy.
Low Testosterone Symptom #1: Your sex drive falters
Perhaps the quickest, most known and most common low testosterone symptom is disappearing libido. Nearly all patient who visits with suspected low T reports lack of sexual appetite and that includes masturbation. Aside from wanting less sexual contact, men with testosterone deficiency report fewer erotic dreams and fantasies.
Areas in the brain responsible for sexual activity, such as the amygdala, are filled with testosterone receptors. The hormone fits inside these receptors like a lock inside a key to light up and arouse you. Without the testosterone, you lose an important part of the puzzle.
The lack of sexual desire can lead to issues with erection, although low T does not directly affect the process involved in getting or keeping it stiff.
Low Testosterone Symptom #2: Your muscles shrink
Sufficient testosterone places your body in a muscle-building (anabolic) state by helping the body generate and process proteins that create the building blocks of lean mass. When the level of testosterone declines, the body shifts to catabolic state, breaking down muscle tissue instead of building it up.
Initially, you may notice that it’s harder to build muscle at the gym and lift as much weight. After a few weeks, you will notice that you’re losing muscle mass. In fact, a study on men with low free testosterone, which is measured by the amount of hormone available to attach to receptors – had a triple risk of losing muscles with aging compared to those with normal levels.
Low Testosterone Symptom #3: Your penis may shrink too
With the consistent supply of testosterone, the tissues of your scrotum, testicles and penis may shrivel or atrophy. When this happens, your penis could lose both girth and length. You will notice that your testes shrinks too, even to half the size and changes from firm to squishy.
While testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) cannot restore your testicular volume, it has a good chance of bringing back your penis to its former glory. In fact, a study published by the Indian Journal of Urology revealed that TRT in boys with micropenis can increase the size to one and half inch.
Low Testosterone Symptom #4: You gain more body fat
In a study among men with prostate cancer, it has been shown that about 22 percent more visceral fat and 14 percent more body fat were gained after a year of androgen deprivation therapy – a form of treatment which hinders testosterone’s effect as prostate cancer cells often require androgen such as testosterone, to grow.
Visceral fat is the deep abdominal fat which coats your organs, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
In men, low levels of testosterone support the activity of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that drives circulating lipids into visceral fat cells, increasing them up.
Low Testosterone Symptom #5: Your mental performance declines
One of the most common low testosterone symptom is trouble with memory and thinking. In a recent study, men with testosterone deficiency for more than five years also noticed a drop in scores on their memory and mental function test.
Aside from the amygdala, other parts of the brain responsible for attention and memory have testosterone receptors too, such as the cerebrum. When there is insufficient amount of hormone for those receptors, your brain cells won’t be able to perform optimally.
Low Testosterone Symptom #6: Your mood suffers
While some of the side effects of low T such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction can really turn you blue, there is an evidence of a direct link between testosterone deficiency and your mood.
Based on a study published by the Endocrine Journal, it has been revealed that about 23 percent of young men with recently diagnosed Low T met the criteria for depression. When there is inadequate level of testosterone, it leads to empty testosterone receptors which is associated to mood changes.
Furthermore, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, can start a vicious cycle. Depression can even suppress your reproductive system to produce testosterone, which worsens the problem.
Low Testosterone Symptom #7: Your bones deteriorate
Our bone is a living tissue that are constantly tearing down and rebuilding themselves. However, when testosterone levels drop, the process of breaking down becomes much faster than the normal rate the body can rebuild it.
This results in a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and low bone density and suffering from fractures.
Low Testosterone Symptoms #8: Your heart may be at risk
The effect of testosterone deficiency on the possibility of developing heart problems has fueled controversy among experts.
On one side, low testosterone levels may be associated to heart problems. A study from the UK has found that men diagnosed with low testosterone has a higher risk of dying from heart disorder compared to men with normal levels. The theory is that testosterone can help open heart blood vessels, letting blood to flow without obstructions.
On the flip side, a number of studies have proposed that testosterone replacement therapy, particularly among seniors or those with existing heart ailments, might increase the likelihood of stroke or heart attack because they believe that TRT may thicken the blood, increasing the chances of clot formation.
Hence, if you decide to get testosterone therapy, be sure to talk to your doctor regarding the risks and benefits of the treatment. Your doctor will test your T levels after you started the therapy or make necessary changes to the dosage. If you are getting treatment by injection, be sure that your T levels are not rising too high.
9 Common Low Testosterone Symptom That Affects Your Body
Saleamp Design February 21st, 2017
Posted In: Testosterone Therapy
Some of the symptoms found in the lists are common to the things that we feel in our body in everyday living and we can’t tell that for a simple body fat can lead you to a severe disease. We must always be careful and always take care of our body.
You are absolutely correct when reviewing the symptoms of Low testosterone. We first review the symptoms before we would conduct a male testosterone panel. There are many other reasons why someone might be suffering from the 24 symptoms of Low T that we track and completely agree with you.