Testosterone deficiency, otherwise know as low testosterone or “low T,” is a serious medical condition that affects up to 13 million men in the United States alone. As the name suggests, testosterone deficiency indicates an unusually low level of testosterone, which is medically defined as 300ng/dL or lower of total testosterone and 5 ng/dL or lower of free testosterone. The symptoms of the disease include increase in body fat, chronic fatigue, decrease in muscle mass, poor sleep, anxiety, and depression. In some cases, low T is known to decrease life expectancy — especially if it remains untreated.
Despite the heavy risks, up to 90% of men with the condition do not seek or receive treatment. One reason for this is that men naturally see a decrease in testosterone levels starting around the age of 30, and as such consider symptoms of low T as a mere product of aging. However, low T is a serious medical condition that requires medical attention. If untreated, the symptoms will only get worse, and so will the patient’s quality of life.
Men with low testosterone, however, need not despair as the condition is perfectly treatable. One treatment in particular, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), has proven to be wildly successful with patients. The therapy involves giving patients synthetic hormones in order to boost their testosterone to normal levels. The hormones themselves are administered through a number of ways (for example, injections, pills, creams and gels, and tiny pellets embedded under the skin), and the administration is done over a long period of time. Men who undergo the therapy can see dramatic improvements in their quality of life in a matter of weeks.
Though there are risks associated with TRT, most medical treatments come with their share of hazards. For men with testosterone deficiency, however, the benefits of getting their lives back to normal more than outway the risks.
