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Am I Too Old For TRT?

| By: Dr Robert Stevens

Testosterone is the male sex-hormone, a healthy level is necessary for sexual function and reproduction.  It also has a marked effect on general physical and psychological health throughout men’s lives.

Females go through the menopause, a well-defined cut off point in their timelines, where the ovaries fail to produce oestrogen and they are no longer fertile.  The risks of continued oestrogen therapy after this age are well documented.

In men, there is no definitive cut off point where the testicles fail to produce testosterone. Men have the potential to father children in advanced years if enough testosterone is produced to allow healthy sperm production (spermatogenesis). You can extrapolate from that that men should have a normal testosterone throughout their lives.

Hormones play a pivotal role in general well-being and it is important to understand that balance is necessary within the body to ensure optimal health. We do not consider age a factor when deciding whether or not to normalise levels of other hormones so why do we with testosterone? Is it the fact that it is described as a ‘sex’ hormone? There appears to be the assumption that men only need normal levels whilst they are at a ‘reasonable’ reproductive age, which is incorrect.

The health benefits of having an optimal testosterone are far more wide reaching than just fertility.  Benefits include:- mproved cognition, improved vitality, increased libido, improved sexual function, increased lean muscle mass, decreased visceral fat mass, increased bone mineral density, improved insulin sensitivity, improved lipid profile, liver enzymes and decreased inflammatory markers.

Our bodies are incredibly sophisticated and our understanding of how they work is ever evolving, even to this day scientists are making new discoveries that cause us to re-evaluate theories that were once widely accepted. Modern medicine interferes with mother nature, we essentially manipulate and alter nature through the medicines we take and operations we perform. As our understanding of the human body improves, why not manipulate nature to enable you to lead a healthy and active life for as long as possible?

Current evidence supports the rationale of men having an optimal testosterone level throughout their lives, there is no need to accept having a low testosterone as a natural consequence of aging. In fact, the latest research supports the theory that normalising testosterone levels in more advanced years actually has a more dramatic effect on a man’s well-being and health.

So, are you too old for Testosterone Replacement Therapy? NO! Definitely not!

Effects Of Testosterone In Older Men