Hormones are part of a complex system that regulates almost all of your body’s operations. Your hormones affect how you feel, how you look, and how well you function.
When your body’s running low on the hormone testosterone (T), you have a condition called hypogonadism, which means that your testicles produce less T than you need. Despite what the internet says, you can’t just start smearing testosterone cream on your boys. Hormone replacement has to be tailored to your current hormone levels and adjusted as they change.
The expert male physicians at Men's T Clinic® — with locations in Dallas, Frisco, The Colony, Houston, Cypress, Pearland, Pasadena, and Spring, Texas — once suffered from hypogonadism themselves. That’s why they’re dedicated to giving you the right dose and type of T to resolve your symptoms and help you feel like your old (or young!) self again.
First, if you have the symptoms of “andropause” — which is the male equivalent of menopause, in other words, a time when your hormone levels decrease — you may not be low in T. You could have another condition that causes similar symptoms, or be low in thyroid hormone or have another hormonal imbalance.
Before grabbing T cream off the shelf or ordering it online, you should undergo a complete physical to be sure that low T is your only problem. Or if it’s a problem at all.
If you’re overweight or have diabetes, our doctor recommends you resolve those conditions first or in tandem with hormone therapy. Not only do serious medical conditions affect your health and potentially shorten your life, they also affect your hormone levels. You might not need T replacement at all; you just might need to lose weight.
At Men’s T Clinic®, we take time to learn all about your present symptoms, in addition to other symptoms or health conditions you’ve had in the past. We may also conduct a number of blood tests during the initial consultation to determine your baseline levels of:
Even if your T levels are considered “normal” by medical standards, they may not be normal for you. If you have symptoms that are associated with low T and don’t have an underlying medical condition that could account for them, we work to restore your T levels until your symptoms diminish or disappear.
Once we determine the correct dose of T to restore your hormones to a healthy level, you must undergo regular testing to monitor your levels. Almost anything — from what you eat to how active you are — affects your T and other hormones.
For instance, once you’re on T replacement therapy (TRT), you should find yourself shedding fat and building muscle. Fat produces estrogen, which then interferes with your T levels. With less fat, you produce less estrogen and therefore may need less T to reach normal levels.
In fact, one sign that your TRT is working is that your T levels normalize and your symptoms fade or disappear. However, it’s important to note that if you stop TRT, you’ll return to your baseline T levels, which is exactly where you didn’t want to be in the first place.
Once you start TRT, you have to commit to the long term if you want continued benefits. And that includes regular blood tests to ensure you’re getting the right dose for you, right now.
If you suspect you have low T, contact our office that’s nearest you by phone or through the online booking form.
