Why Every Man over the Age of 30 Needs More Than Just Their Testosterone Tested
Testosterone begins to drop off up to 3% a year starting at the age of 30 in men. (1) The reasons for low testosterone vary from man to man.
You’re probably thinking, “Ok, but what does testosterone do?” In puberty, boys see a dramatic jump in their testosterone product. Testosterone is widely considered the hormone that makes men “MEN.” That’s because it coordinates several things that are considered masculine features, such as: (2)
Skeletal muscle growth
Aggression
Facial/body hair growth
Body composition
Sperm production/fertility
So What Exactly is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a hormone. Compared to fast-acting neurotransmitters, hormones are considered slow-acting because they must make their way through the cell, enter the nucleus, bind to specific areas of DNA, and finally tell the cell to increase or decrease different processes. This includes coordinating things like sperm production, protein synthesis, and energy production. (3)
Testosterone, in men, is primarily produced in the testes but the adrenals can also make a little bit. The hormone is then put into the blood where it circulates to target cells. Testosterone may exist as free-floating or bound to a protein in the blood. Only free testosterone is “active.”
Signs & Symptoms of Low TESTOSTERONE
Most people do not fully appreciate and understand what testosterone does. So I’m going to list the top 10 signs and symptoms of low testosterone in males:
A) Low Sex Drive and Low Testosterone
Testosterone is the driving force behind libido in both men and women. Studies have shown that as men age and their testosterone drops, so does their sex drive. Conversely, studies show that restoring testosterone back to normal levels can increase sex drive. (4, 5)
B) Erectile Dysfunction with low testosterone
Testosterone plays a critical role in erectile health. It does this by initiating a process in the brain that tells the body to increase nitric oxide production. Without nitric oxide, blood cannot adequately make its way to the penis to cause an erection. (4, 6, 7)
C) Infertility from low testosterone
We all know that sperm is needed to fertilize an egg to create a baby. Testosterone initiates sperm production during puberty. It also coordinates the proper development of sperm. Studies have shown that low testosterone levels contribute to deformed sperm. As a result, low testosterone can often cause infertility. (8)
D) Hair Loss and testosterone
Testosterone is indirectly involved in hair loss. If testosterone is metabolized into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) too quickly, male-pattern baldness can occur. (9, 10)
E) Low Energy from low testosterone
Several factors can contribute to low energy. This includes infection, poor sleep, stress, and even low testosterone. Boosting testosterone back to normal levels has been shown to dramatically increase energy in men. (1, 4, 5)
F) Decreased Lean Muscle Mass and low testosterone
Testosterone is part of a group of several types of steroid hormones called androgens. These hormones are anabolic in nature, meaning they stimulate growth. When testosterone levels are low, protein synthesis drops off and muscle starts to disappear. (1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14)
G) Increased Body Fat from low testosterone
Low testosterone appears to be directly responsible for packing on the pounds. Without the testosterone, overall metabolism drops, which makes it easier to gain fat. Studies have shown that increasing testosterone levels can stimulate fat loss and improve overall body composition. (1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14)
H) Decreased Bone Mass and low testosterone
Not only does testosterone stimulate muscle growth, it regulates bone growth too. Men with lower than normal levels of testosterone have a significantly increased risk of fractures and breaks. In fact, restoring testosterone can reverse bone loss and increase bone mineral density. (2, 15)
I) Mood Swings from low testosterone
Testosterone is often associated with aggression. In reality, it plays a much larger role in mood. When testosterone wanes men are at a greater risk of depression. (16, 17)
J) Memory Loss and low testosterone
You’re probably not aware, but testosterone aids in memory retrieval. A study involving both men and women showed testosterone is responsible for activating specific areas of the brain related to memory. This means when testosterone levels fall, it gets harder to remember things. (18)
You don’t need to experience all symptoms of low testosterone before taking action!
Cortisol vs. Testosterone
It’s important to understand that several factors can influence testosterone levels. It’s equally important to understand that low cortisol symptoms can mirror low testosterone symptoms. In fact, the two may go hand-in-hand.
Now you’re probably wondering, “What are the symptoms of low cortisol?”
A quick look at the list below and you’ll see low cortisol symptoms in men look very similar to low testosterone symptoms. (19)
Mood swings
Low energy
Increased body fat
Hair loss
Low blood sugar
Dry and thin skin
You can clearly see an overlap between the two issues.
Here’s Where Things Get Confusing: Testosterone vs. cortisol
Along with symptoms of low testosterone and low cortisol being similar, many of the causes overlap.
Causes of Low Testosterone
Causes of Low Cortisol (19)
Poor Diet
Chronic Stress
Poor Sleep
Use of Certain Medications
Chronic Disease
Excessive Exercise
Diabetes/Poor Blood Sugar Metabolism
This is why it can be incredibly difficult to get your health back.
Poor HORMONE Testing Makes Things Worse
Common Problems with Testing Testosterone
How it is commonly measured: Testosterone may be measured in urine, saliva, or blood. Many physicians today only test for total testosterone in the blood.
There are several problems with only testing total testosterone:
1) Total testosterone doesn’t even give a thought to cortisol and sex hormone precursors/metabolites, which are a crucial part of the big picture of your hormones.
2) Total testosterone includes both bound (inactive) and free (active) forms of testosterone, all in the same measurement (so you don’t know which is which). In other words, this is like setting your fantasy football team without knowing who is injured, or on a bye week. This makes it difficult to have a winning lineup. The same applies to only testing total testosterone.
If we don’t know how much of your team can play (active testosterone), then we can’t predict the outcome of the game. If we don’t know how much of your testosterone is active, then we’re not able to determine the effect your testosterone has on your symptoms.
Common Problems with Testing Cortisol
Cortisol helps to govern something called the circadian rhythm. This is responsible for giving you energy in the morning/day and getting you ready for sleep at night. Levels are supposed to be high in the morning and decrease as the day progresses.
How it is commonly measured: Like testosterone, cortisol can be tested in blood, saliva, and urine, and many doctors test blood levels of cortisol.
The common problem with cortisol testing: Cortisol is primarily produced by the adrenal glands and fluctuates throughout the day. Cortisol tests using blood only get your levels for one exact moment. So there is no way to track changes in your cortisol throughout the day. As a result, we cannot determine the impact your diet, work/life stress, or sleep is having on your cortisol output.
Here’s My Favorite Way to Test Male Hormones…
You may know Dutch as the language of the Netherlands. But DUTCH stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. This test completely eliminates the need to parse out free vs. bound testosterone and daily cortisol levels.
The DUTCH test provides comprehensive results. It includes bound and unbound cortisol, four-point cortisol testing, testosterone and estrogen hormones, and their metabolites. You can learn more about how the DUTCH test measures all of these important molecules here.
Below is a great video explanation of how the DUTCH test is ideal for men to assess their hormone status.
Now What?
With all of this information, we begin to get to the root cause of your symptoms. By correcting your underlying issues we can eliminate the reasons to take testosterone injections, gels, patches, etc.
Why is it important to know exactly what hormone imbalance is driving your symptoms?
If you have high levels of DHT (a strong androgen) vs. high levels of estrogen, we can develop a targeted intervention. DHT may build up when testosterone is broken down by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT is primarily responsible for hair loss. (9, 10) High levels of estrogen can indicate the aromatase enzyme is overactive. (23)
The last thing any man wants to hear is they have high levels of estrogen which is driving their low testosterone. The intervention to restore your testosterone if you have high levels of DHT vs. high estrogen levels are quite different. Without a comprehensive test like the DUTCH test, you’d be missing out on the key information to regain your vitality.
The first step to correcting your hormone imbalance is identifying your hormone imbalance. Traditional testing may only show one piece of the puzzle; as is the case with total testosterone vs. free testosterone or cortisol rhythms. Not to mention, traditional testing doesn’t show the whole picture by not including testosterone precursors like DHEA or metabolites like DHT.
Once we know where our hormones are coming from and where they are going, we can correct course and restore healthy hormone function. The DUTCH test allows us to see the full picture and put the puzzle together.
Order a DUTCH!
You will have the option to get your results reviewed with our custom consultation and we will give you a specific treatment plan at the cost of just a test with most practitioners!
Your DUTCH results will include:
Testosterone and its metabolites
Cortisol levels throughout the day
Melatonin levels
B vitamin levels
Estrogen levels
Written care plan
And more!
Is there a man in your life who could use this information? Please share this blog link!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and FunctionalDetoxProducts.com.
Check out her easy 5-Day DIY Detox Guide here!