Hormones of one kind or another circulate in every organism, fulfilling a wide variety of tasks. The hormone testosterone is a sex hormone also called androgen and it is responsible for the male expression, but it also occurs in the female body. In men, this hormone is produced in the testicles; in women, it is produced in the ovaries. The testosterone produced by the testicles is responsible for the sperm to form and mature, and during puberty it ensures the development of male sexual characteristics (beard growth, body hair, deep voice, penis and testicle growth, and muscle building).
Hormone deficiency - symptoms - therapies and further information
If the male body lacks the hormone testosterone , feminization of the body occurs . However, this process begins rather insidiously, usually it becomes noticeable through erectile dysfunction , which is usually the first sign. Therefore, if erectile dysfunction is suspected, the first thing to do is a blood test to measure the testosterone level in the blood. If a deficiency is found here, which is referred to as erectile dysfunction, also known as erectile dysfunction, then hormone administration can compensate for this deficiency. For this purpose, the man gets an injection of testosterone at intervals of three or four weeks. Of course, it is not a condition that the hormone has to be injected for a lifetime, so it is necessary to find out what is causing the deficiency. It is also possible to add testosterone to the body in the form of gel, for which purpose the gel is applied to the skin and fed into the body every day. The advantage of this method is a fairly constant hormone level. There are also hormone patches that are glued to the scrotum, but these patches are somewhat annoying to use. Another form of therapy is a testosterone implant that is planted under the skin, which also allows the testosterone level to be kept very constant. The disadvantage is that this method is not common and not permitted in all countries. Recently there has also been a three-month injection for men, similar to the one used as a contraceptive for women, with which good success has also been achieved so far. So far there are no long-term studies on all possible forms of therapy, but one should avoid external doses of testosterone for too long, otherwise the body is prevented from taking up the production of this hormone again.
Even if testosterone is produced in the male gonads, the brain, namely the hypothalamus located there, is still responsible for testosterone being released at all. This is where the corresponding messages have to be received, which the hypothalamus can then in turn pass on to the gonads for the release of the hormone. Therefore, as a man, one should not be surprised if a neurologist or other specialists are consulted in the event of a hormone deficiency. It is natural that after the age of 40 the production of testosterone decreases, so men also go through the menopause. But there are also many other things you can do here to remain sexually active, even if most men don't realize this yet, a fulfilling sex life is not dependent on a permanently erect penis over a long period of time. An understanding partner is still the best therapy here, provided there are no physical findings.
Where there is much light...
As always in life, it is also the case with testosterone therapy, there can be various side effects when synthetic testosterone is administered. Because of this, this therapy should always be used under medical supervision. The side effects include tumors on the kidneys and liver, heart diseases of various kinds, effects on the skeleton, vascular diseases and even depression can occur. In addition, there are other side effects about which the doctor concerned will certainly inform the patient in detail.
