Could It Be Low Testosterone?
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: When should I worry about my testosterone levels?
Steven Lamm, MD
I think that the primary sexual hormone for men is testosterone, just as the primary female hormone, not necessarily sexual hormone, but female hormone would be estrogen. Well men suffer a decline in testosterone starting at around age 35 and remarkably about 40% of men 45 and older have levels of testosterone that are viewed by the medical community as inadequate. That's a very, very significant percentage that is not appreciated by patients, nor by the average physician. Steven Lamm, MD
Testosterone is viewed as a condition that's a problem in some young teenagers for some esoteric endocrine problem but not appreciated that men as they get older have a decline. The reason this is important is not only that testosterone is a player in the sexual arena, it actually enhances and maintains interest in sex, but it may have very important roles in muscle, body fat, moods, and bone density. So I think that's an area that your viewers and readers can really start to pay a little bit more attention to. 50 and older, 45 and older, starting to have problems with mood and energy and sexual interest, maybe ask your doctor for a testosterone level.