Doctors say they are seeing more men in their 30s and 40s seeking testosterone therapy. NBC6 reporter Sophia Hernandez explains.
Today, more and more men are turning to testosterone therapy.
And the patients are no longer elderly, but men who are 30 and 40 years old.
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Could testosterone therapy be right for you?
“I wouldn’t say it’s a fountain of youth, but it’s probably the closest thing we are going to get,” said Josh Pollock, 39, and who nine years ago was lethargic, moody, and foggy brained.
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“I didn’t know what low testosterone could do to a male’s body.”
His friends advised him to go to South Florida Men’s Health to seek some answers.
What he found, is that he met the criteria for testosterone therapy.
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“It’s funny because I have a nephew who is five years old and I can keep up with him. I have energy for days. I have more energy on less sleep versus before when I had less energy on more sleep.”
He says he’s a completely different person.
And he thanks Dr. Rodolfo Hanabergh, who specializes in hormone replacement therapy, that includes treating testosterone deficiency in males, otherwise known as hypogonadism, that affects roughly 5 million men in the US.
The deficiency can be diagnosed through blood tests and the analysis of some symptoms.
“Fatigue is number one. Lack of motivation. Symptoms that could resemble depression. Lack of muscle strength. Patient could also be affected by anxiety. Lower libido, so the sex drive is affected,” Dr. Hanabergh said.
Dr. Hanabergh has been working in this field for over 30 years. He says a lot has changed, including the patient’s age.
He is seeing more clients around 30 to 40 years old.
THE IMPACT OF STRESS
But why is that?
An Endocrinologist in California says it could be due to obesity, lack of exercise, or drug and alcohol use.
The National Library back in 2019 cited the causes might be diabetes or anabolic steroid use.
While Dr. Hanabergh says there are not enough proven scientific studies, he has his own theory.
“I would say it’s environmental, social, young men are more stressed out than before. They don’t sleep as well as before. They are being affected by something that seems silly but pollution of all kinds. That’s my take.”
He’s also noticed a trend in those with low testosterone.
“I see this problem a lot in the military. We have a good population of veterans here.”
“The same with police officers, first responders. So, what is the common denominator there?: Stress, attitude, lack of proper rest.”
To elevate testosterone levels, weekly injections can be administered at home or a testosterone pellet can be implanted. That pellet can last 5 months.
But it’s not a sure all fix.
“I have found that many of my colleagues are giving testosterone to patients without really checking all the panels of the hormones. So, it’s not a matter of just giving testosterone. Some patients may not even need it at all,” said Dr. Hanabergh.
He explained that sometimes the problem is not the testosterone but that the pituitary gland is not producing a key hormone called luteinizing hormone or LH in short.
"I have found many patients without that test done, and they embark in testosterone therapy prematurely. And that could have consequences for the fertility system because that can block the production of sperm as well.”
Furthermore, Dr. Hanabergh said that there is no consensus in the medical community as to what qualifies as low testosterone. So, depending on who you seek treatment from, their threshold for what is considered low testosterone levels might be different.
