Causes of Testosterone

The loss of testosterone, as a man ages, is a regular finding in medicine. Many men experience an average loss of 1% of their testosterone per year, simply from factors associated with the production. This percentage does not take into account other factors that may affect the production of this hormone.

A chronic health condition can have an impact on a man’s testosterone. These conditions can have an effect at the site of production for hormones that stimulate the testes to produce testosterone, or on the testes themselves. Some of these conditions can be:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cirrhosis
• Chronic Kidney Failure
• HIV
• Hemochromatosis

Some medications have been shown to have an impact on either the stimulation, or production of testosterone.

• Corticosteroids are a type of medication that may play a role in testosterone levels. These medications are often used in asthma, chronic inflammatory conditions, and even back/neck pain.
• Opiates are a pain medication that is often used, and has an impact on testosterone levels. These medications are fine on a short-term basis, but when used long-term for chronic pain associated with various conditions, they can have a long-term suppressive effect on testosterone production.
• A final class that has definitively been shown to have an impact on this hormone production is Chemotherapeutic agents. These medications are used to treat different types of cancers. Even the radiation treatment associated with these same cancers can have a long-term effect on testosterone production.

The testes are not immune to long-term damage through trauma. The Leydig cells, which produce testosterone when stimulated, can be damaged through impact, surgery, and even viral illness (mumps). This damage can reduce the number of active Leydig cells to produce the hormone, or in some cases damage them to the point of lacking production. The trauma category also involves surgery, which includes orchiectomy. Some men have had a testicle removed (orchiectomy) because of trauma or an illness, such as testicular cancer. The trauma issue is not only relevant to the testes, but Head Trauma can play a role in low testosterone, by disrupting blood flow to the hypothalamus/pituitary gland, or disturbing the production of hormones that stimulate the production of testosterone itself.

testosterone can be caused by many different conditions or scenarios. Some categories of the other potential causes are:

• Rare genetic deficiencies/problems
• Environmental toxins (specifically dibromodichloropropane)
• Tumor of the hypothalamus/pituitary gland
• Idiopathic (no cause identified)

Knowledge is the first step in any medical process. Learn more about the potential causes of T through individual research, or ask your health care provider. Here at the Low T Center we have highly skilled, specially trained medical professionals on staff to thoroughly evaluate and treat your condition. After a thorough investigation, if appropriate, men receive testosterone therapy at our centers that is second to none. We have blazed the path for men with this condition, and will to continue to treat this prominent condition to achieve optimal success, with minimal side effects, all the while setting the standard for testosterone replacement therapy.