Many men suffer from symptoms of low testosterone or andropause and confuse this with normal signs of aging. At Male Medical Group in San Antonio, TX, we understand the confusion. However, we strongly believe that testosterone pellets can improve the quality of life of any male suffering from low testosterone. Read on to discover when you should consider this treatment.
18 Signs You Should Consider Testosterone Pellets
1. You’re Trying to Have a Child
If you have tried and failed to have a child for over 12 months, now may be the right time to consider testosterone pellets. Low testosterone levels result in low semen volumes. Because semen is essential for the motility of sperm, if you are trying to have a child make sure your serum testosterone levels aren’t affecting your semen levels negatively.
2. Your Hair Is Falling Out
Now may be the right time to consider testosterone pellets if you are experiencing excessive hair loss. Testosterone is responsible for telling your hair follicles to spend time in the hair growth phase. When there isn’t enough testosterone in your blood, your hair follicles will spend more time in the shedding phase.
This does a couple of things. First, more of your hair falls out. Second, when your hair grows in, it will grow back shorter and thinner than it used to. If you are only losing crown hair, you may just suffer from androgenic alopecia. However, if you are also losing facial hair or body hair, there is a strong chance that implanted testosterone therapy will reverse hair loss and encourage hair growth.
3. You Suffer From Fatigue
One of the most compelling signs that you should consider implanted testosterone therapy is suffering from chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue is a devastating medical condition characterized by extreme tiredness or fatigue that is not improved with adequate rest, hydration, and nutrition. Other symptoms include pain, abnormal sleep patterns, lethargy, apathy, and difficulty focusing.
When you come in for your initial consultation, we will test your serum hormone levels to ensure your thyroid hormones are balanced. Hypothyroidism is another potential cause of fatigue. If you do not suffer from a thyroid disease and suffer from chronic fatigue, implanted testosterone replacement therapy will benefit you.
4. You Are Losing Muscle Mass
Are you maintaining your usual level of activity? Do your muscles appear to be shrinking? If you have low testosterone, they may be. One of the key roles testosterone plays in your body is maintaining your muscle mass. Even if you’re active you get enough protein, your body can’t use the protein for the necessary fuel to keep your muscles healthy.
With implanted testosterone therapy, your body can break down the amino acids in the protein you consume. These amino acids are then used to maintain your current lean muscle mass. Even better, you can start to build your muscles back up to their previous levels. The best part is that if you watch your macros, calories, and workouts, you can build muscle and burn fat.
5. You Are Gaining Abdominal Fat
A beer gut isn’t a natural part of aging. It is a sign of low testosterone. If you are gaining an unexplained amount of abdominal (visceral) fat, consider implanted testosterone therapy. There are several reasons why low testosterone leads to an increase in abdominal fat. Primarily, low serum testosterone levels drastically diminish your metabolism.
This means you are burning fewer calories throughout the day even if your diet and activity levels don’t change. Secondarily, low testosterone increases your stress (cortisol) and hunger (ghrelin) hormones while decreasing your satiety (leptin) hormone levels. Unfortunately, cortisol tells your body to store fat around your abdominal organs.
6. You Are Developing Male Breasts
Gynecomastia is an extremely common condition characterized by excess fat and glandular tissue that feminize the male chest. In some cases, men simply gain fatty chest tissue so they look like they have male breasts. This is merely a symptom of low metabolism. However, due to the relationship between testosterone and estrogen, some men actually develop glandular tissue.
CoolSculpting can remove excess fat from male breasts. However, excess fat will accumulate on your chest again if you do not treat the root cause of your problems: low metabolism caused by low testosterone. If you believe your chest looks too feminine, consider implanted hormone replacement therapy. It will prevent the development of glandular tissue and keep your weight off.
7. You Have a Family History of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by brittle bones. Unfortunately, low bone mineral density means that you are more likely to fracture a bone in the event of a fall or accident. Combined with muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass, people with low testosterone are at a high risk of falling. Moreover, genetics are a solid indicator of developing this disease.
Osteoporosis is four times more common in women than in men. Therefore, you are at a very high risk of developing this condition if your father or grandfather had osteoporosis. If you have a family history of osteoporosis, you need to have your blood testosterone levels tested. Call Male Medical Group to learn more about how to protect yourself.
8. You Think You Have a Mood Disorder
If you think you have a mood disorder, you may be developing one due to low testosterone. Testosterone controls several chemical compounds that affect your mood. Even if it doesn’t cause a mood disorder, it can cause mood swings. For instance, low testosterone can lead to anxiety. This anxiety can manifest itself as irritability or sudden anger.
Moreover, testosterone plays a key role in happiness. Low testosterone can lead to major depressive disorder or sudden, unexplainable sadness. You may also find yourself crying to the sad song in the movie you’ve seen 100 times and never cried during before. There’s nothing inherently wrong with crying during sad songs, but this new behavior may indicate low testosterone.
9. You Are Experiencing Cognitive Decline
Do you have difficulty holding a conversation? Do you struggle to communicate because you can’t remember an important word? Did you forget your 30-year anniversary last month? Do you forget where you put your wallet last night? Cognitive decline is one of the most dangerous signs of low testosterone. It is also the strongest indicator to consider implanted testosterone.
If you struggle to form new memories, you need your blood testosterone levels tested as soon as possible. If you can clearly recall things you’ve known for years but forget what you said a minute ago, you may have a neurological disorder. Diagnosing the cause of your cognitive decline is particularly important if you have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
10. Your Testes Are Smaller
If your testes are getting smaller, you will benefit from implanted testosterone. If your testes have become disproportionately small relative to your penis, there is an excellent chance that your serum testosterone levels are low.
11. You Struggle to Achieve or Maintain a Full Erection
If you suffer from erectile dysfunction, you are in good company. In America alone, over 23 million men suffer from ED. Luckily, testosterone replacement therapy may be able to help. An erection can only occur when receptors in your brain produce nitric oxide. In healthy men, this can happen spontaneously, such as during sleep.
In hormonally imbalanced men, spontaneous erections are rare if they occur. When they want to achieve an erection, they can’t because not enough blood will flow to the penis. If they get a full erection, they can’t maintain it. While you’re waiting for your testosterone replacement therapy to take effect, here are some things you can do for your sexual health:
- Reverse type 2 diabetes
- Exercise to treat depression
- Manage stress and anxiety
- Stop consuming nicotine
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels
- Treat hypothyroidism
- Lower blood pressure
12. Your Libido Is Suffering
Do you feel that your partner is initiating sex much more often than you are? Your libido may be low due to low testosterone. Men start to produce testosterone at a rate of 1% lower per year at around the age of 30. This change doesn’t start in women until the age of 35. Therefore, when partners are close in age, women usually have a more voracious sexual appetite than men later in the relationship.
With implanted testosterone, you don’t have to feel like you’re the albatross around your partner’s neck. You can put the spark back into the bedroom. Combined with an enhanced ability to achieve or maintain a full erection, your relationship can be once more filled with passion in as little as one week.
13. You’re at Risk for Heart Disease
Are you at risk for heart disease? Do you have other signs of low testosterone? If so, consider implanted testosterone to protect your heart health. Low testosterone may cause several risk factors of heart disease, such as obesity, high levels of LDL, high levels of visceral fat and hypertension.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 347,879 men died of heart disease in 2017. At the time, this accounted for one out of every four male deaths. Moreover, when your heart is weak you may experience other life-threatening illnesses, such as strokes. If you have a family history of heart disease, don’t delay. Contact us today. Your heart will thank you.
14. You’re Averse to Needles
At Male Medical Group in San Antonio, TX, we offer our clients testosterone replacement therapy via low T shots. Usually, these injections are administered in the gluteal muscles. For clients who would rather self-administer the injections, the top of the thigh is another potential injection point.
These injections are quick and simple, but we understand that regular injections don’t fit everyone’s lifestyle. Some men are busy traveling for work or leisure and can’t be bothered to remember their dosing schedule. If you’re averse to needles or too busy for injections, strongly consider implanted testosterone to treat your low T or andropause.
15. You Have Hot Flashes or Night Sweats
Hot flashes and night sweats are typically considered signs of menopause. But because of the relationship between testosterone and estrogen, men often go through “andropause” as they age. This means that they experience “male menopause.” Among the symptoms a man with andropause may experience are hot flashes and night sweats.
Your testosterone plays a critical role in homeostasis regulation. One of the bodily functions regulated is core temperature. When your body can’t maintain a “normal” core temperature, you will feel extremely hot, even in air conditioning. You are also more likely to start sweating at night. Consider implanted testosterone if you feel excessively hot or sweat at night.
16. You Suffer From Excessive Nighttime Urination
If you drink too much before bed and get seven to nine hours of sleep at night, waking up once to urinate during the night is pretty normal. However, if you wake up more than once per night to urinate, you may suffer from excessive nighttime urination. There are several problems with this. Primarily, men with this condition may stop hydrating several hours before bed.
This doesn’t improve the symptoms and puts the body under stress. Secondarily, frequently feeling the urge to urinate during sleep can cause one of two things to happen. First, you may lose bladder control during REM sleep. Second, you may interrupt crucial moments of REM sleep. When you wake up, your sleep cycle restarts and you need 90 minutes to re-enter REM sleep.
17. You Suffer From Insomnia
Another dangerous sign of low testosterone is insomnia. Insomnia is a serious condition characterized by the inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, reach REM sleep, and stay in REM sleep. After a period of poor sleep quality, you will suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. Chronic sleep deprivation causes cortisol levels to rise.
Moreover, inhibitions and impulse control abilities are lowered. Cognitive decline occurs. Many people suffer from depression and anxiety due to poor sleep quality. Whether you suffer from insomnia or can’t sleep because you have to urinate too regularly, consider implanted testosterone to help your brain regulate your sleep cycle.
18. You Have Been Diagnosed With Low Testosterone
Consider testosterone replacement therapy with implanted pellets if you have been diagnosed with low testosterone. A healthy male has between 300 and 1,000 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood (ng/dL). If you have fewer than 300 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood, you have low testosterone.
Your testosterone levels will never recover naturally. If you do not take action, your body will continue to produce testosterone at a reduced rate of 1% per annum. Your symptoms of low T or andropause will get worse. To ensure an accurate diagnosis, we test serum levels of testosterone twice before noon, when levels are at their highest.
Learn More About Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Are you experiencing signs of low testosterone? Do you think you suffer from andropause? Do you have an aversion to needles? Are you too busy for low T injections? If you think you could benefit from testosterone pellets, there’s an excellent chance you can. But the only way to know for sure is to have your serum testosterone levels tested.
To learn more, contact us at Male Medical Group in San Antonio, TX today to schedule your initial consultation. Thanks to local anesthesia, implantation is quick and painless. In just 10 minutes, you can enjoy five to six months of relief from your symptoms of low testosterone.