No, low T can show up in a variety of ways and the sex drive, also known as libido, for some men seems to be unaffected by low T, even though they may have other symptoms that respond to testosterone therapy. In addition, the decline in T levels usually occurs over many years and it can be exceedingly difficult to compare the intensity of one’s sex drive today to that of a few years ago.

Symptoms are things we experience and signs are things that can be measured by another person or a machine. The most common symptoms of low T are diminished libido, erectile dysfunction, low energy, increased fatigue, reduced strength, depressed mood and decreased sense of vitality. The most common signs of low T are reduced bone density and a red blood cell concentration that is low which is called anemia.

Low libido can mean reduced overall desire infrequent desire or absent desire low T can cause all of these.

Yes, the experience of feeling blah or having low energy does not necessarily mean that a man has low T.

No. In fact, testosterone has been investigated as a possible male contraceptive because it tends to lower sperm values to 0, or close to 0. Adding testosterone to men activates the negative feedback system, which, in turn, results in reduced sperm production. However alternative treatments are available to stimulate higher testosterone production in the testicles, which may lead to greater sperm production in some men.

Yes. In the past, it was thought that testosterone sexual actions were entirely on the brain. We know now that testosterone also acts directly on the pennis and is involved in production of chemical messengers within the erectile chambers that control blood flow and hence the erection process.

The most important factor influencing body hair is genetics. Men who develop low T will often notice that they have lost some hair on their body as well which will occasionally return with normalization of testosterone. However, raising testosterone levels will not cause body hair to grow in areas that it would not normally develop, like the palms of the hands.

Depression is certainly associated with loss of libido as well as other symptoms of low T, such as lack of motivation and feeling less upbeat. Despite this overlap between depression and low T, we typically do not find these conditions difficult to distinguish from each other. The loss of libido due to low T usually occurs without any other important symptoms of depression. On the other hand, if a man is feeling persistently sad rather than just blah, worthless, helpless or thoughts of suicide, it sounds like true depression, and requires urgent attention from a mental health professional.

If this has been a lifelong condition, this is more likely due to how your body is built rather than low T. However, if a man finds that he no longer has the muscular response to exercise that he once had, then it may be worthwhile to see if his testosterone is low.

Not when there is so much weight involved. Low T can affect fat accumulation and distribution but usually to a mild degree & much slower. Although low T can be a factor, medications such as Semaglutide can greatly assist in the weight loss.

Ask your doctor to repeat the test and also obtain free T and SHBG levels. If either the total T or free T value comes back low he may be willing to offer you a trial of treatment.

No, the test will be performed in the AM when T levels are at their highest but fasting is not required.

Probably, Testosterone therapy increases the amount of lean body mass which is basically muscle and decreases fat mass. This should decrease the percentage of your body that is composed of fat. Exercise does the same thing and the combination of normal Testosterone together with exercise and medication such as Semaglutide produces the best results.

The levels likely aren't lower, they are unchanged. The variability in T results is so large that values within 50 of each other should be considered the same. Your problem is not that your T levels have decreased but that they haven't increased. One option is to increase the dosage.

There is no evidence that stopping treatment suddenly causes any trouble nor is there a problem with starting it back up again. Some men who have had good T levels due to treatment will go through a downtime after discontinuing the medication that lasts up to a few weeks, but in general their T levels should return to their baseline.

T treatment can be stopped anytime. Usually the original symptoms will return though and so most men who respond to treatment continue with it indefinitely. But this should not be regarded as a medical requirement, it is a personal choice for optimizing quality of life.

The vast majority of men with low T will continue to have low T if they discontinue treatment.

There is a familial form of prostate cancer but only in families in which prostate cancer occurs at age 65 or younger. Even in those families where a family member develops cancer at a young age, this does not necessarily mean that every other male in the family will develop cancer. With a family history of prostate cancer be sure to have a yearly PSA your prostate exam. There is no need to discontinue testosterone treatment.

Because there is no evidence that testosterone treatment increases the risk of prostate cancer, it is fine to begin therapy as long as your PSA and DRE are normal.

No. T therapy is not dangerous for the heart. In fact, there is growing evidence that it may be helpful for cardiovascular health.