Testosterone: 13 Surprising Facts

By Anne Harding

When most people hear the word testosterone, they think of aggressive behavior. There is a link between the two -- at least in competitive situations, such as with a peer or for a sexual partner.

However, there appears to be a subtler interplay between testosterone and behavior in other types of situations -- in both men and women.

Here are a few facts about the "male hormone."

Comments

[Alchemist65535]

05:14 PM on 12/20/2011

It's too bad that VirHop's article doesn't talk about injected equivalents to andorgel. I would have liked that information. My internist tests my testosterone levels regularly. I'm on 600mg/month injection, 20mg/day that works out to, and it keeps my serum level in the range my internist is happy with. It is effective too. At 140mg/week everything works, at 120mg/week I start getting low T symptoms and at 100mg/week the symtpoms come back hard. So the dose I'm on is checked both by titration to effectivness and by serum test.

[Nelson Montana]

07:40 PM on 12/19/2011

Okay, fess up...who looked at their hand after reading #7?

[profhdjr]

07:06 AM on 12/19/2011

A healthy diet and exercise can furnish all your needs.

[genegem]

09:04 PM on 12/18/2011

Gimme some more of that testosterone,man. I'm not growing as much hair and even asked for directions the other day!

[VirHop]

06:59 PM on 12/18/2011

It might be more accurate to say that women in "lust" (vs women in love) have higher testosterone.

Testosterone can shrink a man's belly, but it can also create a bigger belly. Fat, and belly fat in particular, converts testosterone to estrogen, which will create an even bigger belly and "man boobs." This is one of the reasons that obese men tend to have lower testosterone levels.

It's not hard to measure testosterone accurately if it's done with a saliva or blood spot (capillary) test, both of which measure hormones that have actually reached tissues. It's also more accurate when testosterone levels are analyzed in conjunction with symptoms.

In men, testosterone levels decline gradually with age, so most men over the age of 65 have low testosterone levels compared with men in their twenties. Thus, most older men can benefit from a little bit of testosterone. The biggest problem with testosterone replacement in the US is that men are way overdosed, which creates undesirable side effects. Here's more detailed info on this issue: http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/testosterone_trial_nih.html

Virginia Hopkins

[VoteObama2012]

11:49 PM on 12/18/2011

Thanks for the link.

The article states "75 mg of AndroGel daily, they will find them to be grossly overdosed" but doesn't indicate an effective dose.

[VirHop]

12:41 AM on 12/19/2011

Many men do fine with 1 to 2 mg per day (cream or gel) but some bioidentical hormone doctors prescribe 5 to 7 mg per day. Every man should figure out the dose that works best for him with a combination of testing and symptoms (or lack of them).

[Nelson Montana]

07:47 PM on 12/19/2011

The problem is, older men can't convert testosterone to its bioavailable form. That's why it turns to estrogen. But there are natural substances that can help the process. Look up Avenacosides A&B, xanthoparmilia and muara puama.

[Simply Red]

02:14 PM on 12/18/2011

Why are doctors reluctant to test for low T? It's just a simple blood test Right?

[Nelson Montana]

07:41 PM on 12/19/2011

Yes. But thanks to Joe Biden, testosterone is now a controlled substance that requires a triplicate script with no refills and most doctors don't want to be bothered.

[tiredofthesameoldstuff]

01:07 PM on 12/18/2011

I will say low testosterone caused me to have fatigue and a feeling of unwell. After getting treated the fatigue went away. Took years to finally get a doctor to test me for low testosterone. I mean it's a frigging simple blood test.

[getoffmedz]

12:14 PM on 12/18/2011

Clowns are rich in testosterone.

; o P

[Simply Red]

02:15 PM on 12/18/2011

No, their rich as 6' up a bulls butt.

[getoffmedz]

03:12 PM on 12/18/2011

ESAD