Symptoms of Low Testosterone

Testosterone is defined as ‘a potent androgenic hormone produced chiefly by the testes; responsible for the development of male secondary sex characteristics’. It is a type of androgen which is defined as ‘a male sex hormone that is produced in the testes and responsible for typical male sexual characteristics’.

In short, testosterone is a hormone which creates those characteristics which are particularly indicative of ‘male’ behavior. These characteristics are: deeper voices, facial hair, larger muscle mass and of course, aggressive behavior.

Testosterone is produced in the testes, and also in the adrenal gland. Normally the level of testosterone in the blood should be between 350 – 1230 nanograms per deciliter. The production of testosterone begins once you enter puberty, and round about your late 30s the production begins to drop by 1% every year.

So what happens when you begin to suffer from low testosterone? Here are some symptoms of low testosterone which can be easily identified by you.

• The first symptom is easily identified – low sex drive and impotence. It is normal that the male sex drive decreases with age. In a normal male, the sexual frequency averages 3 – 4 times a week, in his twenties, then declines to once a week in his fifties and then further reduces to 1 - 2 times a month in the seventies.
• If you have suddenly noticed that you are losing a lot of your lean muscle count, you had better check your testosterone levels. Under normal circumstances, a man with a sedentary lifestyle tends to lose about 10% of his lean muscles every 10 years.
• The next symptom of low testosterone is increase in the body fat. This is linked to the previous symptom. Testosterone is the male hormone which helps to convert fat into muscles. Low testosterone thus, will impede that activity of the body, and thus increase your body fat count.
• Low testosterone also causes an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, bone fractures, and osteoporosis.
• The other symptom is fatigue. If you constantly feel tired and worn out, and doing a physical activity takes longer than before, you may be suffering from reducing testosterone levels.
• You may also feel very depressed, irritable, and may also suffer from sleep disorders. You may also have high blood pressure.

These symptoms should be an effective checklist for determining if you are suffering from low testosterone levels in your body.