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Testosterone & Libido: Analysing the Connection

Testosterone & Libido: Analysing the Connection

By Mike Kocsis | 10 minutes read | Last updated: March 7, 2021 |
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    Evidence Based Research

    For any man that is struggling with low testosterone and the side effects that it can have on your life, sex drive, and personal relationships, it is the main priority to address these issues and ensure you can regain your prior life. It can be difficult to deal with these issues and not know how to address them, but seeking knowledge is the right remedy to this situation. With the power of knowledge, you will be able to address low testosterone and correct negative side-effects like low libido.

    In this complete guide to testosterone and libido, you’ll learn the connection between the most important hormone in the male body and the effects that the body can experience as a result of being low on testosterone. With this deep understanding of the topic, you’ll be able to properly address these issues and ensure that you don’t have to live with the effects forever.

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    What is Testosterone?

    Before you can learn more about testosterone and libido, you will need to learn about these terms independently. You have almost definitely heard of testosterone before, but do you have an actual deep understanding of what testosterone is and what the role of testosterone is in the body? Testosterone is a hormone that is present in both men and women, despite misconceptions. However, it is true that hormone is the dominant hormone in the male body, while estrogen is the dominant hormone in the female body.

    Testosterone is associated commonly with sexual health, but it is actually important for much more than just sex drive and libido. Men that are experiencing low testosterone will often experience low sex drive and libido as a result. The tie between these two things is well documented.

    In addition to regulating sex drive and libido, testosterone is also important for regulating moods, testosterone also plays a large part in enabling people to build muscle mass, improve bone density, and have good focus. Low testosterone is a common issue in men because testosterone will naturally decline as men age. However, some men suffer from low testosterone early on in their lives, which can result in unpleasant side effects.

    Though it can be difficult to deal with the symptoms of low testosterone, you should know that there are things that you can do to address the symptoms of low testosterone. You do not have to live with low testosterone forever, especially if you are young and dealing with low testosterone and its side effects.

    What is Libido?

    You may not have heard of the term “libido”, if you have heard of libido, you may not have been educated on what exactly libido entails and what role it plays in the body. Libido is a term that refers to the sex drive of an individual. A person that has a strong sex drive is referred to as having “high libido”, while the opposite is true of someone that has a weak or nonexistent sex drive.

    The reason that libido is often talked about in connection with testosterone is that your libido, or sex drive, can often be affected by the level of testosterone in your body. Men that are experiencing low testosterone often feel a dip in sex drive and libido. This can not only cause an embarrassing situation, but it can be the source of relationship problems.

    Libido and testosterone are so closely tied together that the objective of many people, when seeking testosterone treatments, is to raise their libido. Many people associate testosterone and libido as being the same thing, even though that isn’t necessarily true. Even so, it does illustrate the connection between the two and stresses the importance of healthy testosterone levels in order to have a healthy sex life.

    How is Libido Affected by Testosterone?

     

     
    One thing that is important to remember is that it’s normal for sex drive to slowly decline in men as they age. It’s also important to remember that sex drive and libido are all relative. What is high libido to one man might be low or normal to another. However, you can tell when you, as an individual, are experiencing lower libido than normal. This is not usually a pleasant experience, and it can take place over a long period of time.

    There are a variety of factors that can affect libido, but it’s a consensus that testosterone levels are one of the main, strong factors that affect libido. It is not known exactly the science of how testosterone levels affect libido, but it probably has something to do with the fact that men who are low in testosterone often have mental and physical health issues. For the body to function normally, hormones need to be in balance. Without proper testosterone balance, men can experience a variety of side effects, including a change in libido.

    Men that are hoping to raise libido and return to a healthy sex drive should make the regulation of testosterone a key priority. Luckily, there are various ways that you can help your testosterone levels in a safe way.

    Other Possible Side Effects of Low Testosterone

    One of the first and most important steps in treating low testosterone that is causing an issue with your low libido is identifying when you are indeed suffering from low testosterone. Knowing the symptoms that are associated with low testosterone is very important because it will enable you to properly identify low testosterone when you are suffering from it and start to treat the condition so that you can overcome the side effects. Without this knowledge, you will find it difficult to even know where to start when it comes to improving libido.

    Depression & Lack of Focus

    In order for the body and mind to function properly, hormones must be in balance. While many people have considered the physical effects of low testosterone, many are quick to neglect the mental aspects that go along with a hormonal imbalance. It is not uncommon for people to be affected by hormone imbalance when it comes to other hormones, and that is no different in testosterone.

    A lack of proper testosterone levels in the body can easily result in an increased risk for depression and lack of focus. These side effects can affect you in your personal or professional life, leading men that are experiencing them to be urgently seeking was to overcome these side effects.

    Loss of Muscle Mass & Decreased Bone Density

    In order to be completely healthy, you will need to have proper testosterone levels. Testosterone contributes to your overall physical health and wellness, but two of the areas that are the most impacted by testosterone levels are bone density and muscle mass. For anyone that is an athlete or frequent gym-goer, this is a non-negotiable side effect.

    Decreased muscle mass and decreased bone density might not sound severe, but they can lead to a very unpleasant life in the long run. Decreased bone density can even lead to conditions that result in loss of mobility and strength. You should maintain healthy testosterone levels if you want to avoid these side effects in the short and long-term.

    Erectile Dysfunction

    We all know that low testosterone can severely impact libido and sex drive, but there are other areas that low testosterone can also impact. Having low testosterone in the body can not only impact the desire of the individual to engage in sexual relations, but it can affect their ability to perform when the time comes. As we touched on earlier, this not only harms your self-esteem and confidence, but it can also contribute to damaging personal and romantic relationships.

    Erectile dysfunction is one of the most common side effects of men that are dealing with low testosterone. If you want to avoid having to deal with erectile dysfunction and other unpleasant side effects of low testosterone, then you should seek to regulate your testosterone at a healthy level.

    What Else Causes Low Sex Drive?

    Though sex drive plays a very large role in determining sex drive, whether it be high or low, it is not the only factor that will affect your libido and sex drive. Sometimes, you don’t need to have low testosterone to be feeling low sex drive and low libido, though it is very common.

    Other contributors to low sex drive and low libido can include things like heavy amounts of stress, personal relationship issues, and poor diet and exercise. If you want to address low sex drive and low libido, starting with these factors is a good idea.

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    Treating Low Testosterone

    Many men that are experiencing low testosterone, low libido, and the symptoms that come along with low testosterone often feel helpless when it comes to turning it around. However, you should know that there are, in fact, treatment methods that you can pursue if you want to treat low testosterone and overcome the side effects that have been imposed as a result of low testosterone.

    Natural Treatment Methods

    If you want to avoid treatment methods that could damage your body and take a more natural approach, we don’t blame you. When it comes time to treat low testosterone, many men choose to pursue a treatment method that has lower risk and more roots in natural treatment methods. These treatment methods could lead you to success without having to inject anything into your body, but they do require a bit more discipline since they are mostly rooted in behavior.

    Exercise

    One of the most simple, natural steps that you can take to improve your testosterone health is to exercise more and ensure that you are living a healthy, active lifestyle. When you exercise more, you will be able to put yourself back into shape. This is known to increase testosterone levels and can even lead to higher libido.

    Stress Management

    A very common source of low testosterone and lowered libido is high stress. Stress can cause the body to act differently, and it is one of the most damaging things that can happen to your body. Being able to reduce stress will not only help you address low libido and testosterone but could improve your overall health.

    Diet

    Finally, you should seek to get your diet under control. You should avoid junk foods that could cause you to gain weight and it’s a good idea to avoid processed foods as well. Being able to eat well is crucial to any journey to keep testosterone at a healthy level.

    There are also some foods that you can try to increase your libido. These include fruits such as figs, bananas, and avocados. Additionally, you might try chocolate, herbs, and limiting yourself to one glass of wine at dinner that evening. A full analysis can be read here.

    Medication & Other Treatments

    Testosterone Replacement Therapy

    Testosterone replacement therapy is one of the most common and most effective methods of treatment for low testosterone. It is commonly used by men that are unable to raise their testosterone through natural methods. Testosterone replacement is not for everyone. It is best used in men that are experiencing a decline in testosterone far before when they expect to naturally start a decline in testosterone due to age.

    The function of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is to manually raise the level of testosterone in the body. This is done by injecting testosterone using a variety of methods directly into the body. This treatment can be administered through injection, patches, gels, and other methods. Usually, the way that testosterone is introduced into the body is up to the patient.

    With testosterone replacement therapy, you could be able to see drastic rises in testosterone. If you are able to have success in raising your testosterone through this method, you could improve your physical condition and reverse the side effects that you may be feeling as a result of low testosterone.

    How Balance My Hormones can help

    If you’re ready to fight your low libido and the other side effects of low testosterone, then the best thing that you can do is get in touch with a medical professional that specializes in issues relating to testosterone to obtain an official diagnosis of low testosterone. With personalized medical care that specializes in testosterone, you can have good hope of reversing the side effects of low testosterone and eliminate low libido as a result of low testosterone.

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    References / Further Reading / Study Material

    https://www.healthline.com/health/boost-your-libido-10-natural-tips#limit-alcohol

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/viagra-foods

    https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/can-certain-foods-boost-mens-libido

    https://www.webmd.com/men/how-low-testosterone-can-affect-your-sex-drive#:~:text=Some%20men%20maintain%20sexual%20desire,some%20decline%20in%20sex%20drive.

    https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-libido-5084040

     

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    Evidence Based Research

    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.

    Our team of healthcare experts and GMC registered doctors are licensed to UK GMC standards. We strive to provide you with the latest evidence based, researched articles that are unbiased, honest and provide you with accurate insights, statistics and helpful information on the discussed topic to ensure you gain a better understanding of the subject.

    We value your feedback on our articles, if you have a well-researched paper you would like to share with us please contact us.

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    About the Author: Mike Kocsis

    Mike KocsisMike 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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    Last update: March 7th, 2021
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