At Low T Guru in Frisco, TX, we strive to help patients suffering from low T to have a better understanding of their condition in the process of treating it. We frequently receive questions about what is low T, what causes low T, and what happens if low T is not treated. In order to understand the answers to these questions, we first need to discuss how your body produces T, controls its levels, and what functions of the body it affects.
Testosterone is produced by the testicles in a man, or the ovaries in a woman, in response to stimulatory hormones called gonadotropins. The stimulator of T release by the gonads, comes from the Pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and is called Luteinizing Hormone, or LH. This is the same stimulator hormone whether in man or woman, but it was identified first in women.
A feedback system is present in the pituitary of both genders whereby it senses and regulates the blood levels of T by putting out more or less LH. Therefore, Low T at its most basic level results from either a malfunction of regulation by the pituitary, or in the man, a malfunction in production by the testicles.
Pituitary malfunctions that cause Low T can result from benign tumor growths in the pituitary called adenomas and are diagnosed by high blood levels of a hormone called prolactin, which then calls for follow up study with a pituitary MRI scan. Other men develop pituitary malfunction resulting in low testosterone due to brain trauma, chronic use of narcotic pain medication, sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, viral illnesses, congenital (present from birth) pituitary malfunction, or the use of anabolic (body building) steroids for athletics.
Testicular malfunctions that cause low T can result from anatomic conditions that are also related to low sperm counts such as varicocele (varicose veins of the testicles), cryptorchidism (failure of the testicles to descend from abdomen to scrotum within first year of life), and congenital, traumatic or infection related atrophy (shrinkage) of the testicles. In other cases, the individual may have a genetically determined, age related tendency toward reduced T production. This is often the case in men with fertility problems such as low sperm count.
Low T is diagnosed based on blood testing for serum testosterone levels, and correlating those levels with the individual’s age, signs, and symptoms.
Laboratory standards give a wide range of low to high normal values (i.e., 300 ng/dl to 1000 ng/dl). Intuitively, and correctly, low end of normal correlates with older adult men while the high end of normal correlates with younger adult men.
It is critical that the doctor assisting you in your process of diagnosis and treatment has a detailed knowledge of age-related normal levels. Dr. Jeffrey Buch, and an increasing number of experts in this field, have begun to suggest proactive evaluation of every man’s T levels at 5 year intervals beginning at age 20, so that treatment can be directed when needed to achieve normal levels for each individual, rather than counting on industry established age related norms.
Testosterone levels have been measured in the morning when they are typically at their highest level of the day. When one of the major complaints of a man with Low T is that he runs out of energy in the mid-afternoon, why shouldn’t the new standard be to check levels in the mid to late afternoon?
At Low T Guru, we are constantly questioning the conventional wisdom of “group-think” and of the so-called experts who try to make these issues much more complicated than they need to be. Our goal is to educate our clients with a solid knowledge of andrology as it applies directly to control of their own health and wellness.
If you think you might be suffering from low T, it is never too late to seek treatment. Call Low T Guru in Frisco, TX today at (972) 430-4554 to schedule an appointment.
Dr. Jeffrey Buch, a graduate from the University of Michigan Medical School, Residency in Urology from the Albany Medical Center of Union College in Albany NY and Fellowship in Male Reproduction and Microsurgery from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, is a highly skilled specialist in Male Reproductive Medicine with over 34 years of experience.
With a nationally recognized practice in Frisco Texas, he has authored articles in many journals while undertaking the training of other urologists in his field.
Dr. Buch’s passion is to create a partnership of care with his patients to address their medical concerns and provide them the best possible service with respect to Male Reproductive Health.
