A number of physical changes are possible, such as increased body fat, reduced muscle mass and strength, and decreased bone density. As a result, only people who can't use other forms of TRT turn to oral testosterone. The organization requires that testosterone products contain warnings that mention the possible risk of stroke and heart disease. Men often feel a big difference when they stop therapy because their body's testosterone production hasn't recovered yet. However, this is a real evaluation of patients who undergo hormone replacement using a locally validated tool to study fatigue.
TRT can also have long-term negative effects, such as polycythemia, which must be carefully monitored and may justify discontinuing treatment. Hypogonadism hinders the ability to produce normal amounts of testosterone because of a problem in the testicles or in the pituitary gland that controls the testicles. It is also possible that these conditions cause low levels of testosterone, so treatment may cause increased levels of testosterone. If you're wondering if testosterone therapy might be right for you, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits.
Millions of American men use a prescription testosterone injection or gel as a form of testosterone replacement therapy (often referred to as TRT therapy) to restore normal levels of the male hormone. If other conditions or medications cause testosterone levels to drop, doctors usually treat the underlying condition before recommending hormone replacement therapy. Testosterone replacement therapy, in the form of injections, pills, patches, or gels, can improve the signs and symptoms of low testosterone in these men. While this new information is somewhat reassuring, men and their doctors should still weigh these issues before committing to long-term testosterone therapy.
Prostate cancer needs testosterone to grow, so administering TRT can cause cancer cells to grow faster. For older men, it's important to determine if a low testosterone level is due to normal aging or if it's due to a disease (hypogonadism). Guidelines from the American College of Physicians indicate that testosterone therapy may slightly improve sexual function in some men, but there is little evidence that it improves other functions, such as vitality and energy.
