How can I tell if my Testosterone is low?

Low testosterone is becoming more and more common in men and women. Naturally testosterone levels begin to decline in the early 30’s, for some even earlier. Although testosterone is more of the dominant hormone in men, women also need optimal levels of testosterone. Men and women can experience similar symptoms.
Here’s a few common symptoms of Low T:

• Feeling tired

• Low sex drive

• Loss of motivation

• Low or depressed mood

• Poor recovery after exercise

• Night sweats / Poor sleep quality

• Joint aches/ pains

• Loss of sexual function including erectile function for men, and vaginal dryness or difficulty reaching climax for women.

• Increase fat mass/ weight gain

• Loss of bone density

• Loss of muscle mass
  
  What to do about it?
  
  1. Get your levels tested. Although reference ranges are broad, optimal levels are typically between 30-85 ng/dl for women and 700-1000 ng/dl for men.

  2. Change your lifestyle. Getting more sleep, a healthy amount of exercise, and proper nutrition absolutely helps naturally hormone production. But will it be enough? Most people who are experiencing symptoms of low testosterone and/or who have significant deficiency will need supplement support and/or medications.

  3. Medication options.

  For men - depending on the case, can sometimes benefit from a testicular stimulator such as Clomiphene or Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In more significant deficiency or age above 40 men may need testosterone replacement therapy which most commonly and effectively is delivered by an injection in the the muscle or subcutaneous tissue of the abdominal area with an easy to do home injection. Other therapies include cream or gels, and pellets which are a small dissolvable tablet(s) that is implanted under the skin, into the fatty tissue with an in-office procedure.

  Women typically respond well to bio-identical testosterone delivered through a cream or a compounded testosterone injection that’s delivered with a small needle, into the subcutaneous (sq) tissue of the abdomen. Pellets can also be done for women, but this can be complicated in women still menstruating. Additionally. it can be challenging for many women to find the right dose of pellet. For this reason, most women should do a sq injection or cream.

If you aren’t quite sure what hormones are causing your symptoms… Take our Hormone Quiz!

Men Click Here to get your Free Quiz
Women Click Here to get your Free Quiz.

Looking for a provider to help get you tested.

At RestoreU Functional Medicine, we specialize in helping men and women navigate hormone deficiencies and imbalances.

We start by taking an in-depth look at your labs and then meet with you 1-on-1 in an in-depth appointment to review your symptoms, labs, and give you a comprehensive wellness plan to get you feeling better — for good! Get started today!