As lads, there are many aspects of our body and lifestyle that we often ignore or are just uneducated on. One such factor is a man’s testosterone level.
Hopefully, after reading this breakdown, you will have a better understanding of the importance of testosterone levels in your body, why people seek treatment for testosterone and the benefits of starting Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).
What is testosterone?
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone in human males. The paramount hormone plays a role on everything from the development of the testes to the prostate, muscle mass development to hair growth, sex drive/energy and even bone mass.
Testosterone is critical to the male body. The levels of testosterone peak in men during puberty as the body requires an abundance of it to grow and develop.
The testosterone levels begin to fall as one hits 30 years old. Generally, by this age, you will see falls of 1-2% year on year. However, this rate of decrease is very individualistic and specific to the person. For instance, whilst the levels usually begin to fall after the age of 30, some studies show testosterone levels beginning to wane in some patients aged 25 years old.
Average Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is measured in nanograms per decilitre (ng/dl).
17-20 year olds = 300-1200
21-29 year olds = 290-1100
30-39 year olds = 270-970
40-49 year olds = 252-916
50-59 year olds = 215-878
60-69 year olds = 196-859
70-79 year olds = 156-819
Whilst the values below are the average, please keep in mind that testosterone levels are very specific to the person and there are a variety of factors that can cause the value to fall or rise – what is normal for you, may not be normal for another patient.
What causes low testosterone?
There are various causes for low testosterone. These include: lack of sleep, high stress levels, alcohol and drug abuse, poor diet, lack of exercise, medical conditions, genetic conditions, side-effects from medication and direct trauma to the testicles.
What are the symptoms of low testosterone?
If you think you’re suffering from low testosterone, keep an eye out for the following symptoms: fatigue, low sex drive, insomnia and poor sleep, low motivation, weight gain, brain fog, joint pain, emotional irritability and muscle weakness.
How to diagnose low testosterone?
One can check and diagnose low testosterone with a simple blood test. Usually, this will be booked and done in the morning as this is when the levels of testosterone are at their highest.
After your blood is taken and tested for testosterone it is measured against the lab’s specific policy. Most laboratories state that any test result with a draw level below 300 ng/dl signifies low testosterone. But, again, remember that the value is very much tied to the individual and their condition. For example, a patient could have 400-500 ng/dl but could still be considered low.
Clinics such as the Walkin Clinic offer Wellman Examinations that include a full hormone screening for male patients. This will include a breakdown of your testosterone levels as well as far more useful information about your body: