9 Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy That Might Surprise You
You may be surprised at the many potential benefits of testosterone replacement therapy — when we talk about those benefits in detail, patients are surprised that healthy testosterone levels can improve their lives unexpected ways. They often see gains in physical health, sexual performance, and even their sense of emotional wellbeing.
Although the majority of our patients come to us for relief from specific symptoms in 1 or 2 of these categories, they are often pleasantly surprised by improvements in other areas they hadn’t even associated with low testosterone.
3 Physical Health Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
With any medical treatment, most patients are concerned about how it affects their overall physical health.
Improved Heart Health
Research related to the connection between TRT and heart health has increased lately.
In a summary of recent research published by the Mayo Clinic, the authors found evidence that men receiving TRT were at lower risk of death due to heart attack than those not receiving therapy.
Another study of over 6300 patients suffering from low testosterone found that TRT could have a mildly protective effect on men who already had an increased risk of cardiac arrest.
While research is ongoing, these potential benefits of testosterone replacement therapy are good news for men’s overall health.
One more point to note here is that any reputable TRT treatment program will involve frequent, thorough blood tests — detecting any abnormality early is the best form of prevention.
Increased Lean Muscle Production
Lean muscle production becomes less efficient, and overall muscle mass declines, as men age. Suffering from clinical hypogonadism (the medical term for low testosterone) will make the problem worse.
As TRT restores your testosterone levels to the optimum range specific to your body, studies show you can expect this trend of losing muscle mass to slow and possibly reverse — a slight increase in muscle mass was seen in older men without increasing exercise which can lead to a decreased risk of frailty which often accompanies men as we age.
Although you’re not going to become a competitive bodybuilder or return to your highschool physique just because you have normal testosterone levels, some extra effort in the gym or on the trails will likely produce better results for your appearance than you’ve been seeing lately.
Reduced Fat Tissue Production
As testosterone declines, men’s hormone balance alters — estrogen levels become comparably higher, which leads to an increase in adipose tissue (the technical term for fat).
(Yes, guys, you have estrogen — it’s normal, and it’s necessary for your body. Read more about estrogen in men here.)
That means you can expect a “spare tire” or squishy midsection to be harder to work off and keep off.
Healthy testosterone levels will signal the body to burn fat and instead produce lean muscle — your body becomes a more youthful and efficient machine.
Although expecting overnight miracles would be unrealistic, it’s true that the physical health benefits of testosterone replacement therapy exist and will have an effect on you over time — in a sense, your body will stop working against you.
A healthy hormone balance keeps your body tuned to produce more muscle and less fat, which can lead to a more youthful appearance, healthier self-image, and higher perception of quality of life.
3 Sexual Performance Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Fewer Episodes of Erectile Dysfunction
Losing the ability to achieve an erection and physically perform in the bedroom is a particularly distressing symptom that can occur in men suffering from low testosterone — they often report that finding a solution to ED is their highest treatment priority.
Although severe ED (erectile dysfunction) is usually caused by problems related to blood flow, suffering from Low T may increase the time needed to develop an erection, which strongly resembles ED.
In fact, many men who suffer from low testosterone are surprised to find that treatments for ED using drugs like sildenafil (Viagra) are not always effective — those treatments don’t address low testosterone levels. Adding testosterone can increase the effectiveness of these drugs when low testosterone contributes to the problem.
When a man’s hormone levels are restored to balance through a treatment plan that includes TRT, many men see a rapid improvement in their physical ability to perform sexually.
Increased Libido
Though often confused with your physical ability to have sex, the term libido refers to your desire to have sex — it’s also referred to as your sex drive.
Testosterone levels strongly affect the ability to become sexually aroused. That means people, both men and women, suffering from Low T often experience a decrease in the desire to have sex — they may even lose the desire to have sex completely.
In these circumstances, many men feel their manhood has been seriously threatened or tarnished.
Now for the good news — one of the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy that patients consider positively life-altering is an increased sexual arousal and a restored sex drive after only a few weeks of testosterone replacement therapy.
Better Urinary System Function
Although not truly a sexual function, proper function of the prostate connects both sexual and urinary performance.
A very recent study conducted at Boston University Medical Center found a significant improvement in both sexual and urinary function (as well as improved perception of quality of life) for more than 650 hypogonadal men who underwent long-term testosterone replacement therapy.
The men who participated in the study, all in their 50s and 60s, reported the following negative occurrences prior to receiving testosterone replacement therapy:
- Frequent urination
- Incomplete bladder emptying
- Weak urinary stream
- Poor sleep due to waking up at night to urinate
After receiving long-term TRT treatments, participants in the study reported a drastic decrease in these unpleasant symptoms and a significant improvement in urinary performance.
3 Mental Health Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Up to this point, I’ve talked mostly about how TRT can improve your health — let’s shift gears.
It’s equally important to mention that restoring healthy testosterone levels can increase your mood and sense of contentment.
Relief from a general feeling of distress, or even misery, can make a tremendous difference to someone suffering emotionally — mild depression, mild anxiety, or chronic fatigue are common symptoms of low testosterone.
The following are 3 benefits of testosterone replacement therapy that are more emotional in nature:
- Improved mood
- Reduced anxiety
- Increased energy
Relief from dysthymia (a low mood or mild depression), mild anxiety, and fatigue can restore vitality and an overall sense of wellbeing in men who have been suffering from chronic low testosterone.
Though emotional health isn’t always men’s initial focus, a more positive and energetic feeling about life is a welcome change for many men who undergo testosterone replacement therapy.
Men who find relief from these symptoms through TRT are glad to be back on top of their game at work and in life.
The Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy Are Clear — But Is It for You?
The symptoms of low testosterone can damage your health and wellbeing in many different ways.
Although many patients come to us for help resolving particularly troublesome symptoms, they are often surprised at the many unexpected benefits of testosterone replacement therapy.
However, TRT is only effective for patients actually suffering from Low T, and it can be dangerous for people with normal testosterone levels.
If you think you’re suffering from low testosterone and the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy would increase your quality of life, we recommend taking our Low T Symptoms Quiz — click the button to get started.
