Male hormone health risk warning

If men over the age of 30 experience two or more of the symptoms of sleep disturbance, irritability, sudden drop in physical energy, and loss of sexual desire for two consecutive weeks, they belong to a high-risk group for hormonal health. Priority should be given to checking testosterone levels. 90% of non-pathological declines do not require external testosterone supplementation and can be reversed by adjusting lifestyle. Blind supplements may inhibit their own secretion function and even affect fertility.

Last week, I just received a doctor from a 34-year-old e-commerce operator. He only slept 4 hours a day for three consecutive months during a major sales promotion. When he came, he said that he had been "like a deflated rubber ball" recently: he used to be able to deadlift 120 pounds at the gym three times a week, but now he is out of breath when carrying a 10-pound express delivery up to the third floor. Last week, he got angry for no reason because his girlfriend forgot to bring him milk tea. Afterwards, he felt inexplicable. There was no demand in that area for almost two months. After checking six items of sex hormones, the total testosterone was only 280ng/dl, which is a bit lower than the minimum reference value for adult men of 300ng/dl.

To be honest, the patients we have encountered in the past two years are getting younger and younger. In the past, most of them were middle-aged people in their 40s and above, but now young men in their 20s and early 30s account for almost half. Many people first ask, "Doctor, can I get a testosterone injection?" I heard that supplementation can make you feel better and build muscles." This is also the most controversial point now: the American Association of Andrology's 2023 guidelines clearly state that exogenous supplementation is recommended only if pathological testosterone deficiency is diagnosed (such as Klinefelter's sign, insufficient secretion caused by pituitary disease, and other triggers are excluded) ； However, many people in the fitness circle are secretly popular about "testosterone cycling", saying that low-dose supplements can quickly build muscle and improve condition. Some overseas specialists believe that for people over 35 years old with low testosterone, the benefits of using low-dose testosterone patches outweigh the risks and can significantly improve the quality of life - currently There is no unified consensus between these two views. My personal experience as an andrologist for 12 years is: as long as you are not born with secretion defects, first find out whether it is "the battery is out of power" or "the charger is broken", and then just replace the battery. Over time, your charging function will really become useless.

Oh, by the way, don’t think that hormonal problems are caused by “kidney deficiency”, and don’t buy random maca or deer whip ointment to pay the IQ tax. 90% of sub-healthy testosterone decline is essentially caused by yourself. Last year I met a 27-year-old chubby guy who weighed 200 pounds. He stayed up late playing games and drinking milk tea every day. He had not conceived a child for two years after being married. After a test, his testosterone was only 240ng/dl and his sperm motility was less than 8%. I did not prescribe any medicine for him. , I let him sleep for 7 hours a day, do leg training twice a week, run 3 kilometers, and gave up sugary drinks. He lost 32 pounds in half a year, and his testosterone returned to 480ng/dl when he was retested. He just sent me the B-ultrasound photo of the child last month. Aromatase in fat converts testosterone into estrogen. This is not alarmist. For every inch thicker the swim ring on your belly is, your testosterone level will drop. This is solid evidence-based evidence.

We sometimes joke in our circle that we don’t need to take a blood test to see if a man’s testosterone is sufficient, but just to see whether he is willing to go out to play ball on the weekend or slump on the sofa and check his mobile phone all day long. Although it is an exaggeration, the truth is correct: testosterone is the core hormone that drives the human body’s mobility, metabolic level, and emotional stability. It is like the body’s firewood. If there is not enough firewood, it will naturally not burn. Many people attribute irritability, fatigue, and lack of interest to "midlife crisis" and "high pressure." Carrying it around will lead to problems: I have seen a 42-year-old business executive whose testosterone was as low as 210ng/dl and did not take it seriously. In the end, he fell and suffered an osteoporosis fracture. He lay down for three months before he recovered. ； I have also seen a 30-year-old man blindly take testosterone supplements for half a year, and his secretion function was almost completely suppressed. It took two years of conditioning to slowly recover.

A few days ago, the 34-year-old operator came for a checkup and found that his testosterone had returned to 360ng/dl. He said that he had taken the annual leave he had saved after the big sales as I said, slept 8 hours a day, and spent two nights playing badminton in a park near his home. He never lost his temper with his girlfriend again. You see, many times the problem is really not as complicated as you think. If you receive the early warning from your body, don't bear it hard or mess around, most of the time you can get over it. After all, compared to spending a lot of money on various supplements and so-called "youth injections", staying up less late, drinking less milk tea, and taking more steps is the most reliable way to maintain hormones.