Complete Timeline of Testosterone Therapy Effects

Testosterone therapy: Is the verdict now in?

Studies are often specifically powered and designed to address a key efficacy endpoint, such as a particular symptom improvement, and not to address secondary symptom improvement or adverse events. Although one objective of meta-analyses is to increase study power to identify significant results, this often results in an amalgamation of studies that may have different primary and secondary endpoints, thereby reducing the reliability of the outcomes. In some cases, the etiology is obvious (e.g., iatrogenic causes), in others, a karyotype may be warranted to establish a diagnosis of KS (47, XXY).169 In other cases, it may not be possible to establish a definitive etiology. Other population-based studies have attempted to measure prevalence, but have not used standard methodology, which makes arriving at a definitive number of testosterone deficiency difficult. Given these inconsistences, prevalence of low testosterone has varied dramatically among studies, with statistics reporting %.5-8 A summary of findings from four large-scale contemporary prevalence studies can be found in Table 3 (See button below). We urge health care professionals and patients to report side effects involving testosterone products to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of the page. There are a lot of natural products that claim they can increase your testosterone levels.

There are limited data in men on active surveillance who are candidates for testosterone therapy. There has been a concern that testosterone therapy might cause progression of previously existing, but undiagnosed, prostate cancer or that testosterone might cause high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PIN) to progress into frank carcinoma. There are a variety of lifestyle treatments involving exercise, diet, and sleep that have been shown to increase testosterone levels. If you don’t have hypogonadism, but you’re interested in feeling more energetic and youthful. The following alternative methods may help increase your testosterone level without the use of hormone therapy. Doctors can determine if you have male hypogonadism through physical exams and blood tests.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has a similar effect and is FDA-approved for use in men with symptomatic testosterone deficiency, often those with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Human chorionic gonadotropin has a similar effect as luteinizing hormone (LH) but enjoys a 36-hour half-life compared to just 30 minutes for LH. If LH is elevated, hCG supplementation will not effectively raise testosterone levels.

If the starting testosterone level is low, particularly below 250 ng/dL, they need to be aware that their PSA [level] will probably rise and plateau, typically after the third month. For example, studies show that some men with sleep apnea develop low testosterone levels, especially if overweight. Also, if your pituitary gland or hypothalamus is dysfunctional, it can diminish your production of luteinizing hormone, affecting your testosterone and sperm production.

HCG helps keep them the right size during testosterone therapy. “In the right person, testosterone can help a lot,” says men’s health specialist Dr. Alex Pastuszak, but he admits that it isn’t the cure-all the advertisements lead you to believe. Most of Dr. Pastuszak’s patients will come in with complaints of low sex drive and general fatigue. They can’t seem to power through a day and find themselves tired by lunch time. His secret is to make sure that he’s never on a “diet.” Diets are short term and focused on getting a person to lose weight or gain muscle.

However, in February 2025, after reviewing a “large clinical trial,” the FDA announced several label changes to testosterone drugs. Chief among them was the removal of the black box warning from all testosterone products that stated the drugs could lead to increased risk of cardiac events. Ultimately, the clinical trial published in the New England best otc test booster (https://www.bcicentral.com/pages/comprar_winstrol_1.html) Journal of Medicine and cited by the FDA concluded that testosterone therapy did not increase cardiovascular risk. Millions of American men use a prescription testosterone injection or gel as forms of testosterone replacement therapy (often referred to as TRT therapy) to restore normal levels of the manly hormone. The ongoing pharmaceutical marketing blitz promises that low-T treatment can make men feel more alert, energetic, mentally sharp, and sexually functional.

“Because we hear about testosterone therapy in the media all the time, it can cause us to become desensitized and take our guard down,” says Dr. Deibert. “The important thing to remember is that while the benefits sound amazing, testosterone therapy is not for everyone and requires thorough evaluation and regular monitoring.” Some of these side effects include shrinking of the gonads, altering sexual function and infertility. The unique pharmacokinetic profile of testosterone pellets is due to their crystalline structure, which dissolves slowly in SQ spaces. Individual pellets consist of 75 mg of testosterone and may be combined to deliver variable doses of testosterone therapy.

Because it’s natural to have low testosterone as you age, some symptoms such as decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, or erectile dysfunction may be a sign of other conditions. There are some medications that can lower estrogen levels in your body. All men have estrogen in them but lowering it may help with sperm production. These meds include clomiphene citrate, letrozole or anastrozole and are pills. There are also injectable drugs that act like the hormones sent down from glands in your brain that will increase sperm production. Fertility specialists for males will prescribe these drugs, because sometimes they can act to lower sperm counts if they are used incorrectly. Matsumoto has treated younger men with low testosterone levels due to disorders of the testicles, pituitary gland, or brain, a form of hypogonadism.

You should also avoid TRT if you’re planning to have biological children. Trying to repair your fertility after TRT can be very expensive and take a long time. Getting older can be challenging, especially when you lose energy, libido, and strength. For men, some of these declines can be due to low testosterone. The cost of TRT is an essential factor to consider when deciding which route is right for you.

Given these pharmacologic and mechanistic differences, combinations of these alternative therapies might, in some instances, be clinically appropriate. To merely refer to injectable or gel testosterone formulations without differentiation does not impart complete and accurate information to the reader. While there are three injectable drugs, two of them are short-acting and one is long-acting.