The principal androgen (male sex hormone) is testosterone. This steroid is manufactured by the interstitial (Leydig) cells of the testes. Secretion of testosterone increases sharply at puberty and is responsible for the development of the so-called secondary sexual characteristics (e.g., beard) of men. Testosterone is also essential for the production of sperm.
Androgens were first discovered in 1936. Androgens are also the original anabolic steroids and the precursor of all estrogens, the female sex hormones. The primary and most well-known androgen is testosterone, other less important androgens are dihydrotestosterone and androstenedione.
Besides testosterone, other androgens include, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) - a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex from cholesterol, Androstenedione (Andro) - an androgenic steroid produced by the testes, adrenal cortex, and ovaries, Androstenediol - the steroid metabolite that is thought to act as the main regulator of gonadotropin secretion.
For decades, doctors have used synthetic testosterone to treat a small number of men whose hormone level is unambiguously low. Hypogonadism, as it is called, can be caused by a problem in the testes (where most testosterone is made) or in the pituitary gland (the "master gland" under the brain that secretes a signaling hormone to get the testes into action).
Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it's unclear whether testosterone therapy would have any benefit for older men who are otherwise healthy. Although some men believe that taking testosterone medications may help them feel younger and more vigorous as they age, few rigorous studies have examined testosterone therapy in men who have healthy testosterone levels - and some small studies have revealed mixed results. For example, in one study healthy men who took testosterone medications increased muscle mass but didn't gain strength.
Male hormone therapy should not be initiated without comprehensive testing. The patterns and trends over time of multiple hormone levels, (for instance free testosterone, total testosterone, and estrogen), determine the specific hormone replacements required.
Male hormone therapy hasn't been effective as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. In younger men it shrinks the testes and in all men, drops the sperm count. Yet doctors who prescribe testosterone say their patients often report that it improves the quality of their erections.
Androgens were first discovered in 1936. Androgens are also the original anabolic steroids and the precursor of all estrogens, the female sex hormones. The primary and most well-known androgen is testosterone, other less important androgens are dihydrotestosterone and androstenedione.
Besides testosterone, other androgens include, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) - a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex from cholesterol, Androstenedione (Andro) - an androgenic steroid produced by the testes, adrenal cortex, and ovaries, Androstenediol - the steroid metabolite that is thought to act as the main regulator of gonadotropin secretion.
For decades, doctors have used synthetic testosterone to treat a small number of men whose hormone level is unambiguously low. Hypogonadism, as it is called, can be caused by a problem in the testes (where most testosterone is made) or in the pituitary gland (the "master gland" under the brain that secretes a signaling hormone to get the testes into action).
Testosterone therapy can help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, but it's unclear whether testosterone therapy would have any benefit for older men who are otherwise healthy. Although some men believe that taking testosterone medications may help them feel younger and more vigorous as they age, few rigorous studies have examined testosterone therapy in men who have healthy testosterone levels - and some small studies have revealed mixed results. For example, in one study healthy men who took testosterone medications increased muscle mass but didn't gain strength.
Male hormone therapy should not be initiated without comprehensive testing. The patterns and trends over time of multiple hormone levels, (for instance free testosterone, total testosterone, and estrogen), determine the specific hormone replacements required.
Male hormone therapy hasn't been effective as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. In younger men it shrinks the testes and in all men, drops the sperm count. Yet doctors who prescribe testosterone say their patients often report that it improves the quality of their erections.
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