Before undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), it's vital to have a series of blood tests done. The main blood tests to measure are total and free testosterone, hematocrit, PSA, estradiol, HDL cholesterol, and others. Pre-treatment tests provide doctors with baseline values for diagnosing hypogonadism (low testosterone levels) and evaluating overall health. Baseline tests are also performed during TRT, ensuring that doctors can adjust the TRT dose and detect side effects before they become a problem.
Your doctor will measure your testosterone levels 3 and 6 months after starting treatment. After that, you will be tested once a year. If your levels are good, you will continue with your current dose. Women and those who are assigned female sex at birth produce testosterone in addition to estrogen, although the amounts of testosterone are much lower than those produced by men. Testosterone decreases in women as they age, especially after menopause, but most of the time, TRT isn't necessary.
However, even if your doctor finds that your testosterone levels are low, he or she may recommend that you first try other remedies (for example, losing weight or seeing a psychologist for depression) before prescribing testosterone. While erectile dysfunction (ED) can be a symptom of low testosterone, and having low testosterone levels can reduce libido, some people with low testosterone have no problem achieving an erection, while others have erectile dysfunction with normal testosterone levels. Some experts warn against them because they say that the doctors who administer them often prescribe too much testosterone and are often not specialists in urology or endocrinology (the study of hormones).). To do this, they make a small incision in the skin and use a special tool to implant 10 balls of testosterone.
You may need to have your blood drawn more than once and at different times of the day, as testosterone levels change. If your doctor suspects that your testosterone levels are low, he or she will do a blood test, probably first thing in the morning. Most testosterone binds to proteins; proteins control the amount of active testosterone in the body and prevent tissues from using the hormone right away. Some studies show that testosterone may increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, a potentially life-threatening clot in the lungs. If you have symptoms of low testosterone and tests show that you have an abnormally low testosterone level (below 300 nanograms per deciliter), your doctor may recommend treatment.
Testosterone levels are highest in men around age 17 and decline as they age, starting in their 30s and 40s. Due to several factors, such as fat content, liver disease, drug effects, and genetics, some men may produce more estradiol from testosterone than others men. Reviewing this list will help define if additional evaluation is required for the patient with TD before starting TTH and can help define which modality of TTH is optimal for the patient. It has been reported that men with OSA have twice the risk of polycythemia compared to men without OSA after starting TTH (20%).
compared to 10%).
