Low Testosterone?

[hghealth]

I know that testosterone drops with age and I have now turned 53, however, I noticed that around 6 to 9 months ago my sex drive seemed to just vanish. It's not something I have suffered from noticeably before... even in my now advancing years!! But it was a marked shift that seemed to happen quite rapidly. It also coincided with a a peak in a long battle with insomnia. That situation is improving but the low sex drive situation has not improved. Do I have low T? How is this best tested? Do I really have to go through blood tests to get T levels checked?

[Nick2U]

Yes, a blood test is the best way to get your testosterone levels. But make sure you get it checked first thing in the morning as levels change throughout the day. Tell your doctor your symptoms and if he doesn’t suggest it just ask them to order a blood test. It’s very easy to do and if you are correct they can prescribe testosterone treatment. My doctor dragged his feet for nearly a year until I told him my testicles were shrinking and I was literally falling asleep all the time. So when the results came back we found out I was severely deficient at about 35 instead of 600 or so. They put me on Testosterone injections every two weeks but the benefit only seemed to last a few days, and due to other side effects switched to a topical Testosterone gel to maintain a more consistent level. Now, it’s very possible your insomnia or medication may have caused it but if your symptoms persist and it were me I would definitely ask for a blood test—of course, I’m not a doctor but if I can answer any questions you might have just ask. Anyway, best wishes. 😁

[hghealth in reply to Nick2U]

Thanks. I think long term insomnia is definitely a factor but also it has coincided with a period in life where my exercise levels dropped compared to what they used to be. Probably higher levels of alcohol than is necessary at my age to maintain good T levels. Pretty much all adds up. I probably need to work harder at fixing all of these in order to up T levels.

[xsevenx]

I would definitely ask for a blood test…

[Don_1213]

My medical oncologist insists on a T test along with my PSA tests. He felt the PSA tests were useless without knowing the T levels. I've since converted my GP into a believer, which probably was useful since the last few tests have shown my T decreasing from "old man normal (>300) to deficient (around 210), and he's suggested I talk to my MO about replacement therapy. I do tend to nod off a lot during the day - which is probably one effect of low-T. I also have close to zero sex-drive.

[Don_1213 in reply to Don_1213]

I heard back from my MO this morning (he's great with replying to emails, which I try to keep very infrequent) - and he said replacement therapy is a possibility, but "T supplementation is a long conversation," - so I'm going to try to setup a video call with him next week. He said the discussion is about risk/rewards... I'll try to post the gist of it here after it happens.

BTW - if you haven't looked at my profile - the reason I have an MO is prostate cancer. I realized this group isn't one with only PCa victims in it (like other HealthUnlocked groups I'm in..) And with high-risk PCa, supplementing T can be a chancey thing.

[hghealth]

UPDATE... Thinking about my diet though... it was around the same time (suspiciously enough) that I switched over to a sort of permanent state of intermittent fasting where by I shifted to two meals a day and quite often dipping into ketosis (low carb). All of this was to kill off belly fat which was getting a bit too big... This actually worked very well indeed... but I'm now wondering if its related to the loss of sex drive?