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Medically Reviewed by Dr. George Touliatos
When you hear about low testosterone and the problems that often surround men that have low testosterone, you typically think of older men. The reason is that low testosterone is typically a problem that will affect older men, simply because it is natural for them to experience a decline in testosterone in their bodies as they age. Not many people hear about low testosterone in teenage males, but it does certainly happen.
Unlike in older males when a decline in testosterone is natural as they age, low testosterone in teenage males is not typical. For that reason, it can sometimes be cause for concern. If you are looking to learn more about low testosterone in teenage males, then you are in the right place. Our complete analysis of low testosterone in teenage males contains all of the information that you need to address, identify, and treat low testosterone when it occurs in teenage males.
One of the most common questions that people have about teenage males and testosterone is whether it is typical for teenage males to have low testosterone. In fact, this is not a common occurrence. In males, the amount of testosterone that they have in their body is typically higher when they are younger. As men age, the amount of testosterone should start to gradually decline, starting around age 30 by up to 1.6% a year.
So, as you can imagine, for men to experience low testosterone at such a young age is not something that is expected. In fact, it is cause for concern, since it can only be due to a number of factors, none of which are particularly easy to treat. For men that experience it later in life, it is simply a matter of administering more testosterone to make up for the missing testosterone.
However, younger males are better candidates for addressing the root of the problem so to maintain the hope of having normal testosterone production as they get older, instead of having to constantly seek out testosterone replacement therapy on a daily basis. One such way may be to assess your lifestyle choices, including diet and exercise to help boost natural testosterone levels.
If you are hoping to identify low testosterone in teenage males, one of the best ways to do is to watch out for the symptoms. One thing that you should know right off the bat is that identifying the cause of these symptoms can sometimes be difficult. What we mean is that sometimes, these symptoms can be caused by other things. If you are in your 20s and have low testosterone we recommend checkout this article out.
In addition, it is particularly hard to identify low testosterone in teenage males by using symptoms alone because of the fact that in their teenage years, they are typically going through a number of bodily changes that could cause atypical side effects that they wouldn’t typically have to deal with.
One of the most telltale signs of low testosterone in teenage males is the loss of muscle mass. The reason that this symptom makes it more obvious than others is that teenage males should be experiencing an expansion in muscle mass, not a decline. When teenage males experience the opposite, it becomes clear that something is not right. However, this still doesn’t mean that it is definitely low testosterone that is the cause. In fact, it could be a couple of different things.
Another pretty clear sign that something is not right when it comes to the testosterone levels is prolonged or delayed puberty. In their teenage years, males should be going through puberty, which results in a number of changes in their body. This is a sign that everything is going as planned.
If puberty is not occurring or it is progressing very slowly, this could be a sign that the male’s testosterone levels are not quite in line with what they should be. This could cause a number of side effects, none of which being friendly towards the long-term development of the individual. In any case, regardless of whether it is caused by low testosterone or not, this could be a harmful sign for the future. So, it should be addressed sooner rather than later.
In a similar way to the loss of muscle mass that we touched on earlier, teenage males that experience thinning hair earlier than they should be could be experiencing low testosterone. As with muscle mass, teenage boys should in fact be gaining hair thickness and other features as they go through puberty and a rise in testosterone.
If you or your child is experiencing a decline in hair thickness instead, that could most definitely be a sign of lowered testosterone or lagging testosterone levels.
This symptom is of particular concern since it could very well cause injury to teenage boys that are going through it. Brittle bones are a common side effect of men that are experiencing lower-than-usual testosterone. If this is happening, it is a good idea to get ahead of it while you are able to. Weakened bones into the future could easily cause trouble when it comes to athletic performance and strength in other areas, as well.
The first step to properly treating low testosterone in teenage males is to properly diagnose the condition. Without a good diagnosis, you will be flying blind when it comes to getting to the bottom of the cause and treating it in a way that is likely to have a favorable outcome. One way to diagnose the condition is to watch for the side effects and match those up to what is typical of teenage males. The problem with this is that it can lead to many false positives since teenage men are typically going through a range of changes in their teenage years.
A much more effective and accurate way to diagnose low testosterone is to get a blood test. As one of the most important hormones in the body, it is easy to determine the content of testosterone in the blood by conducting a blood test. A blood test can be conducted at a testosterone clinic or a regular doctor. A blood test can quickly tell you how much testosterone is in the bloodstream.
The good thing about low testosterone in teenagers is that there are a limited number of effects that could be causing it. This allows you to narrow them down faster and determine what the cause is with enough time to repair the issue before it heavily affects the quality of life.
One of the potential causes of low testosterone in teenage males is the lifestyle that they lead. Lifestyle plays a much more important role in the health and testosterone levels of teenagers than many people realize. The lifestyle that you lead includes diet, exercise, and stress management. If a teenage male is leading an unhealthy lifestyle, they are much more prone to having lower than usual levels of testosterone.
Another factor that could affect the level of testosterone in the body of a teenage male is any disorders that they might be experiencing. The most common of these is hypogonadism. This is the condition that directly affects the ability of the system to produce testosterone. When a male has this disorder, it will greatly impact their symptoms and cause them to have lower than usual testosterone.
In addition to disorders affecting the amount of testosterone that is produced by the body, the treatments for those conditions can also have the same effect. A great example of this is would be chemotherapy. This is a harsh treatment that can impact the functionality of the body. This could result in the lowering of testosterone in the body, leading to various side effects.
If you are ready to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of low testosterone in teenage males, then there are a few steps that you need to take. The first of these is to get an official diagnosis with one of our specialist testosterone doctors. This will involve contacting us for a free consultation, then booking a testosterone blood test at one of our certified centres or using the a testosterone blood kit for use at home via finger prick.
The next is to listen to the advice of the medical professional as to how to treat the underlying cause of the low testosterone. This could amount to testosterone replacement therapy or lifestyle changes that will make your body more friendly to testosterone production. Either way, this will need to be done in conjunction with a medical professional that knows what they are dealing with.
Perhaps just as important as identifying low testosterone in teenage males is treating it. If you are unable to treat the low testosterone that is affecting the body, you will eventually find that it will continue and will rarely just go away naturally. If you hope to reverse the side effects of low testosterone, you must take action. Without addressing the issue the side effects will undoubtedly worsen over time, making it harder to address in the future. If you are experiencing low testosterone as a teenage male, you must be sure to see a testosterone professional that can assist you in treating low testosterone.
This article has been researched and written based on scientific evidence and fact sheets that have then been crossed checked by our team of doctors and subject matter experts.
References, sources and studies used alongside our own in-house research have been cited below, most of which contain external clickable links to reviewed scientific paper that contain date stamped evidence.
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If you know your total testosterone reading from a previous blood test input the results to the left above to see if your testosterone levels are normal.
You may have low testosterone depending on the symptoms you have, please contact us to find out how we can help.
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Your testosterone levels appear to be in the normal range.
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You may have low testosterone depending on the symptoms you have, please contact us to find out how we can help.
You appear to have higher than normal testosterone levels, please contact us for further investigation.
You appear to have normal testosterone levels. Contact us if you have any concerns.
Mike Kocsis has an MBA with a focus on healthcare administration and is an entrepreneur and medical case manager for Balance My Hormones Ltd which offers medical services in the UK and Europe. Mike has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, much of that working with people who have hormone imbalances. Mike has appeared on podcasts and radio and is an expert speaker on the subject of hormone imbalance. He specialises in Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and has helped thousands of people suffering from hormone imbalances recover and regain control of their lives. You can follow him on LinkedIn and on the Balance My Hormones YouTube Channel.
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