how to use testosterone gel

About Us

Testosterone Therapy: What Men Need to Know About Low T and TRT Treatment Los Angeles Times

What is Testosterone? NRG Clinic: Leading in Hormone Therapy

Imagine you’re trying to enjoy a meal at a fancy restaurant, but are distracted by a toddler at the next table screaming and banging silverware. However, if you go out to dinner in Japan or France, you’re likely to notice that the little diners are more restrained than their counterparts in the US. That’s not due to differences in innate biology; instead, it’s due to the fact that kids, like the rest of us, can modify their behaviour in response to incentives.

This site, founded by U.S. duathlete Chris Mosier — the first openly trans man to make a U.S. This nonprofit was founded by transgender activists in 2003 to advocate for transgender equality, including the rights of people seeking hormone therapy and other transition-related medical procedures and treatments. The best-known treatment for low testosterone is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which is available as injections, pills, topical gels/creams, nasal gels, and pellets that are surgically placed directly beneath the skin. If women who do not use hormonal contraception observe that their cycles are very irregular and/or permanently longer than around 35 days, 12 they should consult their family doctor or gynecologist. Reporting the basal body temperature curve (body temperature right after waking up) over the course of a few cycles can be a tool to indicate whether ovulation happens regularly.

Testosterone hormone function in females is not very different from that in males. You will find that many of the same actions of testosterone occur in females, so we will not duplicate those answers here. Any time you’re worried about your sex drive or your ability to get an erection, or you just feel tired or down all the time (or you have any of the symptoms listed above), you should talk to your primary care doctor. Here’s what you should know about testosterone’s main functions and what can affect your T levels.

I see unambiguous evidence that it can account for some of the large and extremely impactful differences between men and women, particularly when it comes to sexual psychology and aggression. Its starting point is what the anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy has called the ‘coy female’ paradigm – the idea that asymmetries in what it costs females versus males to have babies make males more motivated by mating success. Males potentially invest as little as a sperm, while females contribute a nice plump egg and, in mammals, full bed-and-board in utero and lactation. Over evolutionary time, this means males will develop traits that help them fight for access to females, and appear more appealing to females browsing for their next mate. This case study belongs to a robust body of evidence that makes me sceptical of the significance of testosterone.

Low testosterone levels can lead to various symptoms, including decreased libido, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, and mood changes. If you suspect you have low testosterone, it’s important to seek medical advice. It plays an important role in developing secondary sex characteristics, such as muscle mass, bone density, and body hair. However, having high testosterone levels can also lead to specific side effects. Testosterone plays a vital role in regulating the male reproductive system. It is responsible for sperm production, which is necessary for fertilization and reproduction.

No part of the company’s strategy involved dispensing androgen blockers to change levels of testosterone in men’s bodies. The focus was on collective goals, admitting and learning from errors, and disentangling notions of competence from displays of machismo. Asked to reflect on what being a man meant to them, the workers ended up describing manliness in non-stereotyped ways, often drawing on ideas of approachability, compassion and humility. In 2025, clinics like AlphaMan, a men’s health center specializing in hormone optimization, are rethinking how testosterone therapy fits into modern masculinity.

As a result, there is some controversy about which men should be treated with supplemental testosterone. It is essential to the development of male growth and masculine characteristics. This integrated exercise plan is a relatively new concept in the literature, with limited direct evidence supporting its effectiveness. However, existing research highlights the significant impact of exercise-based interventions on improving quality of life27,39,40,41,42,43.

As blood levels of testosterone increase, this feeds back to suppress the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus which, in turn, suppresses production of luteinising hormone by the pituitary gland. Levels of testosterone begin to fall as a result, so negative feedback decreases and the hypothalamus resumes secretion of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone. It’s unusual for men to have naturally occurring high testosterone levels. If a man’s body is producing high levels of testosterone, it may be a sign of adrenal gland disease or testicular cancer. Studies show that testosterone therapy can benefit your sexual health and performance.

But even in nonhuman animals, testosterone is just one variable in a complex system, one of many factors that feeds into an animal’s decision-making. Social context and experience can override T’s influence on behaviour, or even stand in for T’s absence. Moreover, T responds to contexts and situations, helping us adapt to them. This means that how much T a body has, and how it reacts to it, are inextricably intertwined with the individual’s history and experience – including, in our own case, the influence of gender norms. Generally, total testosterone levels below 300 ng/dL (nanograms per deciliter) may indicate low T, but it’s nuanced.

Testosterone levels are controlled by a feedback loop between your brain, your pituitary gland and your testes. This could be because your testes are not working properly, or because the pituitary gland in your brain is not telling your testes to make testosterone. Testosterone levels can vary greatly depending on your sex, age and health. Children usually have lower levels of testosterone that increase around puberty. If, as I believe, testosterone drives some important sex differences, this shouldn’t deter us from pursuing a safer, more just society. The solution lies in harnessing the power of culture, rather than altering our genes and hormones. An openness to the strongest evidence, and to learning all we can about how genes and environment interact to produce behaviour, can only help.