Testosterone is a male hormone of the androgen group. Although it is a male hormone, it is also present in females, but in low amount (about 1/10th of male). The level of Testosterone, determines many things, from body hair growth to immunity.
What causes low testosterone?
Although the level of testosterone in the male, naturally, starts decreasing after 30’s but the lower level is also seen in young adults. Low t level can affect the body in many ways. Some effects can be superficial and temporary, but some effects can be permanent and severe.
The condition of low testosterone is referred as “hypogonadism.” This condition can be treated by testosterone replacement therapy. In simple terms, artificial testosterone is injected into the body through injections, gels or patches.
In order to determine low testosterone level. First of all, symptoms of low t are matched and a blood test is conducted. Testosterone is injected only after the low level of testosterone is indicated by the tests.
20 Symptoms of low testosterone in men
1) Increased body fat
When the level of testosterone becomes low in your body and the ratio of estrogen: testosterone moves north in such situations your body becomes estrogen dominant. The main role of estrogen is to store fat, especially in the belly region.
2) Decreased energy/fatigue
Testosterone produces RBC’s (Red Blood Cells), the role of red blood cells is to transport oxygen from the lungs to the different part of the body and takes back carbon di-oxide to the lungs.
Low testosterone means less production of RBC. And, as you know oxygen is very important fuel for our body low oxygen makes you less energetic and you start feeling tired very quickly.
3) Reduced muscles size
Testosterone is a hormone known to help with the muscle growth. That is why, some well informed trainers suggests that you should do compound exercises for gaining muscle overall.
The reason behind this is that the compound exercises generates more testosterone that any isolation exercise. So, when the testosterone level in your body goes below a normal level your muscle size reduces and the muscles becomes loose too.
4) Gynecomastia
It is a condition when male breast starts developing. Also referred to as “man boobs” or “mobs”. Low testosterone can make your body estrogen dominant as described before. The excess amount of estrogen can lead to developing of breasts in males.
It usually occurs during puberty or in old ages (50-80), when body is slowly losing its ability making an ample amount of testosterone on its own. It can be cured using testosterone therapy.
5) Loss of body hair
During puberty, males go through a number of changes, one of them is; increasing body hair. Testosterone is the main hormone that is responsible for this.
Although, hair growth is considered as one of the irreversible changes caused by testosterone, but still as the level of testosterone in your body decreases the density and the speed of hair growth.
So, if you see some noticeable change in the size and amount of your beard, that can be indication of low-t.
6) Reduced sex drive/libido
This is probably one of the most noticeable low testosterone symptoms in men-. The men with low levels of testosterone have been seen to have low sex drive. Not only men, but low-t level also affects the libido of women too.
If the low-t is caused due to age factor, then testosterone should be injected externally, but at a young age, when body is fully capable of producing testosterone on its own, a good amount of exercise and a right diet can do this job.
It is also believed that having good sex life also leads to more production of testosterone.
7) Slow recovery from training
Testosterone along with many things also helps in faster recovery. And, it also subsides the muscle pain you feel after an intense workout. So, if your body is a taking an awful lot of time to recover, then it might be a sign of low t level.
8) Depression
Low-t level is also linked to depression. The person suffering from “hypogonadism” has a greater chance to fall into depression. So, if the feeling of depression surrounds you frequently, then there is a chance that your testosterone level is low.
You might have heard how dark chocolate fights depression, it can also increase the level of testosterone in your body. Eating dark chocolate suppresses Cortisol level. Low levels of Cortisol means a high level of testosterone. That means killing two birds with one stone.
9) Low sperm count/Oligozoospermia
This is something you can’t check at home, but is one of the signs for low level of testosterone. Low-t can cause slow reduction in the sperm count and can eventually lead to infertility.
So, couples having problem in having a baby should get the testosterone level checked. Apart from this, low sex, lump in testicles and body hair loss are some symptoms of low sperm count.
10) Insomnia
Problem in sleeping is also a very well know symptom of low-t. It is seen that men with high levels of testosterone doesn’t have problem in sleeping.
Apart from that, the sleep they get is quality sleep, which is very necessary for a body to perform its most fundamental tasks. Hence, testosterone not only help you look good and stay healthy, but also allow you to function well.
11) Diabetes
The person having diabetes, especially Type 2, is likely to suffer from low-t level problems. Type 2 diabetes patient has 2 times more chances of having low testosterone in their body. It doesn’t mean that low it causes diabetes, it might be, the factor causing diabetes is the same factor that results in low-t level.
12) Less muscle growth
If, even after spending hours and hours in the gym working on build those muscles, the result that you getting is unsatisfactory. Then it can be considered as a red flag. From my experience this happens to many people, especially who insists on doing isolation exercises more.
You can do an experiment by changing your schedule in order to fit more number of compound exercises in it, around 60%-70%. See, if there is an improvement in overall muscle development. That will prove, that testosterone was the culprit behind it.
13) Erectile dysfunction
There can be many reasons for erectile dysfunction, one of them is; decreases testosterone in your blood. Your level of testosterone simply interferes in everything that is directly or indirectly linked to your sex life.
This might be the worst of all the low testosterone symptoms. But, it is also strongest one. Out of all, if you have these symptoms, there is a very great chance that you are suffering from hypogonadism. The good news is that erectile dysfunction caused by low t level is very much treatable.
14) Shrinked testicle
If you have noticed any change in the size of your testicles then change in the hormone level in your body can be one of the reasons. In hormone, reduction in the testosterone is most common reason of all. With a reduction in size, numbness in the testicles is also seen.
15) Mild Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the level of RBC’s (Red blood cell) decreases considerably. As you know testosterone is very much responsible for the production of RBC’s. So, any decrease in the level of testosterone can lead to the decrease in the RBC level also. Some symptoms of anemia are pale skin, lack of energy, shortness of breath etc
16) Diminishing bone density
This is one of the many common symptoms of low testosterone in men over 40. Along with other functions, testosterone also decides the density of the bone. People with high level of testosterone generally have stronger bones. The prolonged low level of testosterone can even lead to osteoporosis.
17) Irritation
There might be some people in your life who get irritated really fast. Such people are usually disliked by others. But, low-t level can be reason behind their irritation. By the same logic, if we increase the testosterone level in our body, then we will be in a better mood all the time. That is why, people who train hard are usually very calm.
18) No morning erections
Although many men don’t like the concept of morning erection but it is something that every man should want. Apparently, having no morning erection can be an indication of bad health. As testosterone cause morning erection, no erection meaning low testosterone in men.
19) Poor memory
As you are reading this article you might be wondering that these symptoms are very similar to signs of getting old. But, in fact, the truth is, many symptoms of old age are actually symptoms of low testosterone in men. And, generally with age testosterone decreases in men. Hence, it is easy to misunderstand it. Poor memory is another such symptom.
It is seen men with low testosterone level have poor memory. So, when you mid-age husband forgets your birthday it might be because of low testosterone and instead of giving him a hard time about it, you should get his health checked. I heard in Samoa forgetting your wife’s birthday is a criminal offence. I guess they should provide free testosterone level check ups to these poor men.
20) Poor concentration
If you find it hard to focus on one thing for long time then it can be it. Poor concentration is one of the most common signs of low testosterone in men. It is seen that men with low t level had low concentration power as well. Actually people who masturbate a lot also have relatively low concentration. And excessive masturbation is known to reduce the testosterone level.
Conclusion
These were some signs and symptoms of low testosterone in men that you should not ignore. If, out of these, a good number of symptoms match your condition, then you can consult a doctor. It is not advised to take testosterone by yourself only on the basis on these matching symptoms. Try to increase testosterone as naturally as you can. It will be better in the long run.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21617198/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02865.x