Testosterone and Sexual Health: It’s Complicated

Now more than ever, testosterone is something that is discussed in terms of a guy’s sexual health. There’s nary a man alive who doesn’t know that testosterone is important to muscle tone, performance capability, penis health, and so on. “T levels” are tossed around as a topic of conversation, and many guys boast about how they’re “all T’d up” after a workout (or before a date). But while it’s true that testosterone does have a role to play in sexual health, the fact is that exactly how testosterone fits in is a little more complicated than that.

A natural thing

As most men know, testosterone is a male hormone. Mainly produced in the balls, it plays a role in sexual development (e.g., presence of body hair, growth and development of penis and balls, sperm production, etc.), helps the muscles build and tone, aids in bone mass, and helps to boost a guy’s libido. In addition, testosterone levels play some role in hair loss and depression as well. (There are other factors which come into play, of course.)

Often when a man is having issues in some of these areas – especially those involving sexual health or muscle development – testosterone supplementation may be suggested. In such cases, a qualified physician would assess the issue and make recommendations on exactly what kind of testosterone therapy to prescribe.

OTC

Sometimes, however, men may self-diagnosis an issue with testosterone – or may take an actual physician diagnosis of testosterone – and decide to treat it themselves with over-the-counter (OTC) versions of testosterone.

The problem is that often what a man is getting is not actual a dose of testosterone; it is instead something which claims to “boost” testosterone. In other words, the product doesn’t actually add testosterone itself but is intended to help the body create more of the hormone. Most OTC testosterone boosters are not regulated by governmental authorities, and so there is some concern about their ability to actually boost testosterone production, as well as about how they might interact with other medications or with physical/medical characteristics of an individual.

And some OTC boosters may not work in the way intended. For example, one which is used to boost testosterone to increase libido does seem to provide a very small uptick in testosterone – but may actually diminish libido. (Conversely, one popular booster does indeed seem to boost libido in some men, but does Not seem to have any effect on testosterone.)

Injections

Sometimes doctors prescribe injections of actual testosterone (which may be natural or may be a synthetic version). A man should receive testosterone injections only under the care of a qualified and trusted medical professional. Many men with normal testosterone insist on supplementation, but there can be issues with boosting T levels, including altering blood pressure, cardiac issues, sleep problems, prostate enlargement, dermatological problems, and more. In some instances, too much testosterone results in it being transmuted into estrogen, too much of which can cause its own problems (including male breast development).

Essentially, while testosterone levels are important, trying to ‘self-medicate” to increase the levels can be dangerous. Leave it to a good doctor to determine how to proceed.

Testosterone can impact sexual health, but maintaining overall penis health can be aided by the regular application of a first rate penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). The informed shopper will select a crème that include L-arginine, which is an amino acid that helps to boost nitric oxide production. This in turn enables penile blood vessels to more readily expand to accommodate increased blood flow during arousal. Ideally, the crème should also include vitamin C, which also aids in blood flow and which in addition is a key element in giving penis skin its tone and elasticity.