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Medically Reviewed by Dr. George Touliatos
The male sex hormone testosterone plays many vital roles in the body. Any fluctuation in its normal serum concentration can lead to serious health problems such as male hypogonadism.
This article talks about male hypogonadism in detail. Keep reading to learn about symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis, and treatments of male hypogonadism.
Male hypogonadism, also called andropause or low serum testosterone, is a condition in which testes do not produce enough testosterone, sperms or both.
It can affect men of all ages. A person can be born with hypogonadism or develop it later in life due to disease, infection, drug, or injury. Hypogonadism affects both men and women.
Symptoms of male hypogonadism depend on when you developed this condition:
If the body of a developing foetus produces insufficient testosterone, its external sex organs will go experience impaired growth. A baby boy having male sex chromosomes (XY) may be born with an underdeveloped male sex organ, female sex organ, or ambiguous sex organ (that is neither clearly female nor clearly male).
Puberty is the time when your body develops, and you transition into adulthood. If a boy develops male hypogonadism during this phase, he may experience the following symptoms.
In adulthood, male hypogonadism can disturb the normal reproductive system and masculine physical traits. Adult men may experience the following symptoms after developing hypogonadism.
It is divided into two categories:
This condition occurs when there is a problem with your testicles. They get a message from the brain to produce testosterone, but they fail to do so. It is also referred to as primary testicular failure.
Occurs when there is a problem with your hypothalamus or pituitary gland (parts of the brain that regulate testosterone production).
Your hypothalamus secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This hormone tells the pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). LH tells the testes to form and release testosterone.
Both forms of hypogonadism can be congenital (genetic) or acquired (developed during an individual’s life) disorders.
The causes of primary and secondary hypogonadism differ from each other.
Here are a few common causes of primary male hypogonadism.
X and Y are sex chromosomes that determine gender. Men are XY, while females are XX. The presence of an extra X chromosome influences intellectual and physical development.
As the name of the disorder indicates, an undescended testicle is a condition in which testicles do not move into the scrotum. It can be treated surgically, but when left unchecked, it can lead to male infertility or no testosterone production.
Enlisted below are some common causes of secondary hypogonadism.
People who have had testosterone surgery or therapy in their lives may also experience this problem.
Your doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms in detail. Based on your current health condition and described symptoms, they will perform a physical examination. During it, they may analyse your breast size, muscle mass, penis growth, and the amount of body hair.
These tests are performed to check hormone levels in the blood. Your LH, FSH, and testosterone levels are measured. If your testosterone levels are low and LH and FSH levels are normal, you may have primary hypogonadism. On the other hand, if your LH and FSH levels are low, it may mean you have secondary hypogonadism.
These tests are mostly performed in the morning because your hormone levels are high at this time.
Order Blood Test
| Hormones | Normal concentration in men |
| Testosterone | 300 to 1,000 ng/dL |
| Luteinizing hormone (LH) | 1.42 to 15.4 IU/L |
| Follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) | 1.5 to 12.4 mIU/mL |
Imaging tests like CT scans and MRIs are used to identify an abnormality in the pituitary gland. They tell whether the person has a pituitary tumour or not.
Is performed to find sperm count.
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is used to treat primary male hypogonadism. It comes in different forms, such as:
If your hypogonadism is due to a pituitary tumour, your doctor will recommend treatments that can remove or shrink the tumour. These treatments include:
TRT aims to elevate your testosterone levels. It can reverse the effects of low testosterone levels. Millions of men have this treatment every year to restore their testosterone levels and improve their quality of life.
Here are a few TRT benefits that people experience.
TRT also has some side effects. Talk to your doctor about them to ensure you select the safest treatment plan.
TRT is not for all. People suffering from the following problems should not have this treatment as it can worsen their condition.
No, there is no possible way to prevent hypogonadism that is caused by injury to the testes or pituitary gland and the genetic abnormality. However, you can improve your lifestyle, perform regular exercise, maintain healthy body weight, eat a balanced diet and manage stress to naturally boost your testosterone levels.
Male hypogonadism is a chronic disease, and it requires life-long treatment. If your hypogonadism is treatable, you should discuss it with your doctor to learn how you can reduce the symptoms of the illness and improve the quality of your life. Click the contact button above to speak to one of our specialised TRT doctors and discuss your options!
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/understanding-how-testosterone-affects-men
https://www.healthline.com/health/low-testosterone/warning-signs
Nedresky, D. and Singh, G., 2021. Physiology, luteinizing hormone. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Corona, G., Rastrelli, G. and Maggi, M., 2013. Diagnosis and treatment of late-onset hypogonadism: systematic review and meta-analysis of TRT outcomes. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 27(4), pp.557-579.
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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You must be over 38, have had your ovaries removed or have suffered with premature menopause to warrant further hormone tests.
Please contact us to discuss your hormones, we need your total testosterone levels to validate your hormone deficiency. You can order a blood test here.
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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