Home Reproductive system - male. Androgen deficiency in men. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Androgens are sex hormones Symptoms of androgen deficiency Androgen deficiency in older men Androgen deficiency in boys Causes of androgen deficiency Diagnosis of androgen deficiency Treatment of androgen deficiency Side effects of treatment of androgen deficiency Self-prescription may not be safe Where to get help.
Androgens are sex hormones Hormones can be thought of as chemical messengers. Testosterone The major sex hormone in men is testosterone. Some of the functions of testosterone in the male body include: starting and completing the process of puberty bone and muscle development growth of body hair, including facial hair change of vocal cords to produce the adult male voice sex drive libido and sexual function prostate gland growth and function sperm production.
Symptoms of androgen deficiency When there is not enough testosterone circulating in the body, it can cause a wide range of symptoms. Some of the symptoms of androgen deficiency include: reduced sexual desire hot flushes and sweating breast development gynaecomastia lethargy and fatigue depression reduced muscle mass and strength increased body fat, particularly around the abdomen weaker erections and orgasms reduced amount of ejaculate loss of body hair reduced bone mass, therefore increased risk of osteoporosis.
Androgen deficiency in older men If testosterone levels decline with age, a number of factors may be causing it. Androgen deficiency in boys Boys who have not completed puberty should only be treated by paediatric hormone specialists paediatric endocrinologists. Causes of androgen deficiency Some of the causes of androgen deficiency include conditions affecting the: testes — medical problems that affect the testes can stop them from making enough testosterone. Some of these conditions are present from birth for example, Klinefelter's syndrome — a genetic disorder where there is an extra sex chromosome in the body's cells.
Other conditions may occur at various stages of a boy's or a man's life, such as: undescended testes loss of testes due to trauma or 'twisting off' of the blood supply torsion complications following mumps side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy pituitary gland — the most common condition that affects the pituitary gland and leads to low testosterone levels is the presence of a benign tumour adenoma.
This will inhibit testosterone production by the testes. This is a rare cause of androgen deficiency. Diagnosis of androgen deficiency Androgen deficiency is diagnosed using a number of assessments, including: medical history — a full history is taken, including details about fertility, sexual function, symptoms of androgen deficiency, other medical problems, occupation, medication and drug use prescribed and non-prescribed physical examination — a thorough general examination is performed, including measuring the size of the testicles and checking for breast development blood tests — are taken to determine the level of testosterone in the blood.
Ideally, a fasting blood test should be taken in the morning to detect the body's peak release of testosterone. Testosterone levels should be measured on two separate mornings.
The pituitary hormone levels should also be measured other tests — may be required to determine if testosterone deficiency is due to another underlying medical condition.
Semen analysis will help to determine the potential fertility of men with androgen deficiency. Treatment of androgen deficiency Treatment for proven androgen deficiency is based on testosterone replacement therapy.
Side effects of treatment of androgen deficiency Once testosterone levels are restored to the normal range, side effects of testosterone replacement therapy are not common. Some of the possible side effects include: weight gain mild acne mood changes and increased aggression male pattern baldness breast development problems with urine flow older men. Self-prescription may not be safe There is a large commercial market for testosterone products or herbal products to increase testosterone production.
Using products that you buy online may: not help your symptoms mask other health disorders have unknown side-effects. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? In men, testosterone is mainly produced in the testes. Every person has testosterone. Female bodies readily convert testosterone and other androgens they produce into female sex hormones.
Both females and males experience an initial surge of testosterone and estrogen during puberty, which lasts through young adulthood. This production of sex hormones contributes to the development of secondary sex characteristics.
These include deep voices and facial hair and higher voices and breast development. As a result, they may experience masculinization, also called virilization , and develop more male secondary sex characteristics, such as facial hair and male pattern baldness. As men and women age, their bodies produce less testosterone, but it continues to play a role in maintaining health and libido for both. Levels of testosterone and other androgens can be measured with a blood test.
If your testosterone levels are abnormal, you may have an underlying medical condition causing your levels to be thrown off. Higher testosterone levels in women may indicate a tumor on the ovaries or adrenal glands.
Treating underlying health conditions may help balance out production of testosterone and other androgens. Women with high testosterone are most commonly treated with:. Some women seek treatment for lower testosterone levels caused by another health condition or surgery, such as removal of the ovaries.
For these reasons, doctors usually advise against testosterone treatment for women. In fact, there are many possible side effects of testosterone therapy in women, even in women with naturally low levels of testosterone. The link between testosterone therapy in women and breast cancer and heart disease are currently being studied. Men with low testosterone have traditionally taken testosterone in creams or gels made specifically for men.
There are currently no testosterone products on the market approved for women. Many women suspect they have low testosterone or other androgen levels because they have low libido. However, low testosterone is just one possible reason for low libido. Bioavailable testosterone is a measure of free testosterone and of albumin-bonded testosterone Bioavailable testosterone and free testosterone act differently in the body than SHBG-bound testosterone Based on the levels of these three measures of testosterone, your healthcare provider may make different conclusions about the cause of your symptoms.
If your total testosterone is normal, but your free testosterone is low, for instance, that may mean that you have high levels of SHBG, as opposed to low testosterone. Your healthcare provider may run blood tests if they suspect you may have PCOS or if you have signs of high androgen levels as listed above Knowing your levels will help your healthcare provider choose next steps.
So you should always interpret your lab results with these variables in mind. Here are reference values for testosterone and DHEA-S levels from blood samples, which are used to help diagnose some reproductive disorders 10, After age 18, the lower bound of the normal range is 0. The upper bound of the normal range is 1. After a person turns 55, the upper range continues to decrease As mentioned above, SHBG binds to testosterone.
Sometimes high testosterone levels are not caused by an increase in testosterone production, but decreased levels of SHBG 2,9. During pregnancy, total testosterone levels increase 17, Levels of testosterone can also be different in different parts of the body.
Testosterone levels from maternal blood, amniotic fluid, and the umbilical cord will probably not be the same Also, the level of testosterone in amniotic fluid though not in maternal blood is higher when a person is pregnant with a male fetuses 17, Although hormonal contraception can lower androgen levels, the hormones in birth control also sometimes act as androgens in the body.
Natural progesterone is anti-androgenic Below we list different types of progestins and the birth control they are found in. The term OCs refers to oral contraceptives—birth control pills. The term combined means the pills contain estrogen. Androgenic progestins and the types of birth control they are in:. Norethindrone and norethindrone acetate combined OCs, progestin-only OCs Anti-androgenic progestins and the types of birth control they are in:. Although some progestins may be more or less androgenic, this does not mean any individual person will necessarily notice high or low androgen symptoms.
We discuss this more below. Combined hormonal contraception CHC includes all forms of birth control than contain estrogen and progestin synthetic progesterone. CHC comes in the form of pills, a vaginal ring, and a patch that goes on your skin. Androgens and the birth control pill.
Their effect on androgen levels is the main reason that OCs decrease acne, treat hirsutism, and help to manage PCOS 20, Different OC formulations will have different impacts on androgen levels 21, Also, the level to which OCs impact androgen levels may depend upon the sensitivity of androgen receptors, which can vary from person to person Androgens and the birth control ring and patch.
Less research has been conducted on the ring and the patch. Studies have found that ring and OC users have lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of SHBG compared to non-users 25, Similar to OCs, underlying biology probably plays a role in how the ring impacts androgen levels
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