"These may include reduced muscle mass, decreased bone density with a higher risk of fractures, increased chances of developing diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, infertility and depression," Baumgarten said. Over time, low testosterone can contribute to a range of serious health problems. A doctor can check your testosterone level with a simple blood test. You may have low testosterone if you’re experiencing a reduction in your sex drive, difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection, hair loss, and fatigue. The body requires testosterone to develop the penis and testicles. People with low testosterone, especially older males, may have lower bone volume and be more susceptible to bone fractures.
Testosterone therapy may make sense for women who have low testosterone levels and symptoms that might be due to testosterone deficiency. Lower-than-normal testosterone levels typically only cause symptoms in males. To measure testosterone levels, a woman can have a testosterone blood test ordered by a healthcare provider, such as a primary care physician, OB-GYN, or endocrinologist. Aside from medical treatment, there are lifestyle changes women can make to help lower their testosterone levels. Below is a chart representing the normal range for female testosterone levels by age and ng/dL. Learn more about testosterone levels by age, as well as symptoms and management tips for abnormal testosterone levels.
If you have low testosterone, hormone therapy may help. Your provider will likely have you get a blood test to check your testosterone level. Treatment with testosterone therapy may help reduce symptoms. Certain health conditions, medicines, or injury can lead to low testosterone (low-T). This is mostly dependent on factors such as age and underlying medical conditions. TRT can be very important for helping teenage males with hypogonadism experience typical masculine development. A good first step is increasing activity levels and maintaining a healthy diet in order to reduce body fat.
For men with low blood testosterone levels and symptoms most likely caused by a low level, the benefits of hormone replacement therapy usually outweigh potential risks. Keeping those caveats in mind, in one study (2) of healthy adult males between the ages of 40 and 70, researchers observed these normal total testosterone levels. Late-onset male hypogonadism happens when the decline in testosterone levels is linked to general aging and/or age-related conditions, particularly obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Classical male hypogonadism is when low testosterone levels are due to an underlying medical condition or damage to your testicles, pituitary gland or hypothalamus.
Most men focus on total testosterone levels when they’re trying to figure out if they have low testosterone, but free testosterone levels matter, too. The researchers also broke the data down into normal levels of free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone The average male who reaches 70 years old will have testosterone production that’s 30 percent below his peak (5).