Can Low Testosterone Cause Weight Gain

Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which your testicles don’t generate adequate testosterone. It has numerous feasible causes, including problems or injuries influencing your testicles, pituitary gland or hypothalamus. It’s treatable with testosterone replacement therapy.

What is low testosterone (male hypogonadism)?
Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a problem in which your testicles do not produce sufficient testosterone (the male sex hormone). Testicles are the gonads (sex body organs) in people appointed male at birth (AMAB). More specifically, the Leydig cells in your testicles make testosterone.

Low testosterone creates various signs at different ages. Testosterone degrees in adults AMAB naturally decrease as they age. This consists of cisgender males, non-binary people AMAB as well as transgender females who aren’t going through feminizing hormonal agent treatment.

Other names for low testosterone and also male hypogonadism consist of:

Testosterone deficiency syndrome.
Testosterone deficiency.
Primary hypogonadism.
Secondary hypogonadism.
Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism.
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

What does testosterone do?
Testosterone is the major androgen. It stimulates the growth of male characteristics and also is important for sperm production (spermatogenesis). Degrees of testosterone are normally a lot greater in individuals assigned AMAB than in individuals assigned lady at birth (AFAB).

In individuals appointed AMAB, testosterone helps preserve as well as develop :

Sex organs and genitalia.
Muscular tissue mass.
Adequate levels of red blood cells.
Bone density.
Sense of well-being.
Reproductive as well as sex-related function.
Your body typically securely regulates the levels of testosterone in your blood. Levels are generally greatest in the morning and also decrease with the day.

Your hypothalamus and also pituitary gland usually manage the quantity of testosterone your testicles release and produce .

Your hypothalamus launches gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers your pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormonal agent (LH). LH after that travels to your gonads ( ovaries or testicles ) and stimulates the production as well as launch of testosterone. Your pituitary additionally launches follicle-stimulating hormonal agent (FSH) to trigger sperm production. Can Low Testosterone Cause Weight Gain

Any issue with your testicles, hypothalamus or pituitary gland can cause low testosterone (male hypogonadism).

What is a low testosterone level?
The American Urology Association (AUA) takes into consideration low blood testosterone to be less than 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) for grownups.

Nevertheless, some scientists and also healthcare providers differ with this as well as really feel that levels listed below 250 ng/dL are low. When diagnosing low testosterone, service providers likewise take symptoms into factor to consider.

Who does low testosterone (male hypogonadism) affect?
Male hypogonadism is a medical condition that can impact individuals with testicles at any age from birth via the adult years.

Low testosterone is more probable to impact individuals who:

Are older.
Have weight problems.
Have improperly managed Type 2 diabetes.
Have obstructive rest apnea.
Have persistent medical problems, such as kidney disorder or cirrhosis of the liver.
Have HIV/AIDs.
How usual is low testosterone?
It’s challenging for scientists to approximate just how usual low testosterone is since different researches have various interpretations for low testosterone.

Information recommend that about 2% of people AMAB may have low testosterone. And various other research studies have estimated that greater than 8% of people AMAB aged 50 to 79 years have low testosterone.

What are the symptoms of low testosterone?
Signs of low testosterone can vary significantly, especially by age.

Signs that extremely suggest low testosterone in grownups designated man at birth include:

Minimized libido.
Erectile dysfunction.
Loss of armpit and pubic hair.
Diminishing testicles.
Warm flashes.
Low or zero sperm count (azoospermia), which causes male inability to conceive.
Other signs and symptoms of low testosterone in grownups AMAB include:

Clinically depressed state of mind.
Difficulties with focus and also memory.
Raised body fat.
Bigger male bust tissue (gynecomastia).
Decline in muscle strength as well as mass.
Reduction in endurance.
Signs of low testosterone in youngsters
Low testosterone prior to or during the age of puberty for kids appointed man at birth can lead to:

Slowed growth in height, however their legs and arms might continue to grow out of proportion with the remainder of their body.
Minimized growth of pubic hair.
Decreased development of their penis and testicles.
Less voice growing.
Lower-than-normal strength and endurance.
What causes low testosterone?
There are a number of feasible reasons for low testosterone. Both kinds of male hypogonadism are:

Primary hypogonadism (testicular disorder).
Secondary hypogonadism (pituitary/hypothalamus dysfunction).
Sources of primary as well as secondary hypogonadism are likewise split right into either hereditary (at birth) or acquired ( established later on in childhood or the adult years).

Sources of primary male hypogonadism
Primary hypogonadism occurs when something is wrong with your testicles that doesn’t permit them to make normal degrees of testosterone.

In this kind, your pituitary gland generates more luteinizing hormonal agent (LH) as well as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ( recognized as gonadotropins) in action to low testosterone degrees. The high degrees of these hormones would generally tell your testicles to produce even more testosterone and sperm.

How is low testosterone dealt with?
Doctor treat low testosterone (male hypogonadism) with testosterone substitute treatment. Testosterone replacement therapy has numerous different forms, consisting of:

There’s no single repair for low testosterone. However, constant hormone substitute treatment aids enhance sex drive, simplicity signs of clinical depression and increase power levels for lots of people designated man at birth (AMAB) experiencing low testosterone. Can Low Testosterone Cause Weight Gain