Enclomiphene Citrate May Treat Andropause More Effectively than Bio-Identical Testosterone
Bio-Identical Testosterone has been used for decades in order to treat Low-T caused by Hypogonadism and Andropause. There is a drug currently undergoing Clinical Evaluation which is likely to reach the open market in just a matter of years, known as Enclomiphene Citrate.
Medications similar to Enclomiphene Citrate have long been used as fertility treatments for women, but studies indicate that the treatment can also provide men with a potent boost of Testosterone without a risk of overdose.
Enclomiphene Citrate Affects Men and Women Differently
In women, Enclomiphene Citrate encourages the process of ovulation, but in men, it encourages the release of precursor hormones which stimulate the production of both natural, endogenous Testosterone and sperm.
In fact, these trials provide evidence that Enclomiphene Citrate is even better than Testosterone Injections and Creams at restoring natural Testosterone Levels, all the while promoting healthier hormone balance and circulation in other ways.
How Does Testosterone Replacement Treat Low-T?
Bio-Identical Testosterone Therapy simply replaces the Testosterone that the body no longer produces at sufficient concentrations to sustain male health. Testosterone Therapy can bring Testosterone Levels back to normal, but it comes with side-effects, both inherent in the treatment and related to accidental overdose. Because Testosterone Therapy provides an outside source of Testosterone, the treatment suppresses the body's production of Testosterone Precursors that are responsible for healthy testicles, which leads to fertility issues as well as Testicular shrinkage.
Enclomiphene Citrate is Cheaper than Testosterone
Enclomiphene Citrate is also cheaper than Testosterone, meaning that, if the treatment is found to be effective and gains FDA Approval, and it appears likely that this will be the case, countless men will flock from Bio-Identical Testosterone to Enclomiphene Citrate in order to get more cost effective care that is easier to administer. Unlike Testosterone, which is generally delivered via injection or topical formulation, Enclomiphene Citrate is a simple pill.
Enclomiphene Citrate Clinical Research Study
At this point, Enclomiphene Citrate for Men is in the second stage of its clinical trial, after showing incredible promise in the initial stage of research. The details regarding this second phase will be published in the academic publication Fertility and Sterility.
Of course, the process for FDA Approval is a four stage process, but, based on off-label usage of similar medications, and the effectiveness of the treatment in the first two stages, it seems clear that Enclomiphene Citrate for Andropause and Male Infertility will almost certainly obtain FDA Approval.
Testosterone Deficiency Prevalent in American Society
Low-T, also known as Andropause or Age-Related Hypogonadism, is a prevalent condition among men in the United States. Millions of American males suffer from the condition, and studies suggest that the condition is still under-diagnosed, due to a number of different factors.
Testosterone Deficiency is most well-known for its impact on sexual health, but Low-T affects male health and longevity in a number of different ways. Aside from Low Libido, Infertility, and Erectile Dysfunction, other symptoms of Andropause include depression, anxiety, changes in body composition, loss of Bone Mineral Density, muscle atrophy, and lack of energy.
Low-T is a natural aspect of the process of aging, but not everything that is natural is healthy. Study after study shows that men with naturally high Testosterone tend to be both healthier and more well-adjusted than their peers that have lower levels of Testosterone.
When Does Testosterone Production Peak?
Biologically, our Testosterone Levels peak while we are in our teens and twenties, and start to fall off beginning in the thirties. Every man is impacted by Low-T in their own way, and some experience symptoms more quickly and more severely than others. Testosterone Deficiency is associated with a number of chronic medical conditions, from cardiovascular disease to diabetes to obesity.
The State of Modern Testosterone Therapy
One issue with Testosterone Deficiency as it is treated today is that there are no definite thresholds regarding how low Testosterone Concentrations must fall before a patient is ultimately diagnosed. This is partially because there is still ongoing research regarding Testosterone for Andropause, but also because each patient has his own personal genetic profile as well as their own set of unique lifestyle choices.
This means that part of diagnosing Low-T is up to the discretion of the prescribing physician, because it is up to his or her expertise to determine if the severity of the symptoms and the underlying hormone levels warrant therapy.
This also means that Testosterone Therapy is prescribed to meet our standards for what healthy Testosterone Levels should be, rather than the body's natural processes to provide youthful Testosterone. This is where Enclomiphene Citrate can be both useful and perhaps even superior to Testosterone Therapy for many patients.
Enclomiphene Citrate and Andropause
Andropause is a form of Secondary Hypogonadism, meaning that the testes are still fully capable of producing their own Testosterone, they just aren't receiving the same signals that they did when the patient was younger. Enclomiphene Citrate restores this youthful signaling, allowing the body to make just as much Testosterone as it needs to meet the needs of the body. Enclomiphene Citrate encourages youthful production of Testosterone, without the risk of overdose (or under-dose) that is sometimes associated with Testosterone Treatment.
Why is Enclomiphene Citrate Superior to Testosterone?
Bio-Identical Low-T Treatments restore Testosterone quite capably, but they do so without taking into account the other hormones and processes of the male body which depend upon Luteinizing Hormone, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, and Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone to take place.
When Bio-Identical Testosterone is administered, the body fully absorbs and utilizes the Testosterone, but the three precursors listed above, LH, FSH, and GnRH, no longer get produced in sufficient quantities. This condition does not have a significant impact on health and wellness, but it has a tremendous impact on both male fertility and the condition of the testes themselves.
Doctors Often Prescribe Testosterone to Men that Want Children
Many men take Testosterone without realizing the fertility risk associated with Standard Testosterone Therapy. This is because many general practitioners prescribe Testosterone for Low-T without fully recognizing the downsides associated with the treatment, and thus, they don't relay that information effectively to their patients.
Often, we think of Testosterone Treatment as a therapy for men in the latter stages of their life, but Age-Related Low-T can affect male health even as soon as the early thirties, and many men start taking Testosterone while they are still interested in having children, without recognizing the suppressive effect that the treatment has on a man's ability to produce sufficient sperm for conception.
This lack of knowledge on the part of many physicians is not anecdote, there are studies to back it up. A recent poll by the American Urological Association discovered that fully a quarter of urological specialists were not aware that Testosterone inhibited fertility, and would prescribe Bio-Identical Testosterone Treatments like Axiron to men that were vocally interested in having children in the near future.
Fertility Suppression Due to Low-T Treatment Temporary
Luckily, the fertility risks associated with Bio-Identical Testosterone are short-term, and fertility returns to pre-treatment levels after therapy is suspended, but this still means that many men that would greatly benefit from Testosterone Therapy don't get the opportunity for treatment because of their desire for children.
Clomid vs. Enclomiphene Citrate
In the very near future, there will be a new option available for these men, so they can protect their health and their sexual function while also promoting the healthy production of sperm. Enclomiphene Citrate is a component of a medical treatment that has long been on the market in generic form known as Clomiphene Citrate.
This treatment is also available under the brand name Clomid. The treatment was originally designed to improve fertility in women, but also shows some effectiveness at restoring Testosterone Levels in males. In women, Clomid and Enclomiphene encourage the production of female sex hormones, but in men, the medical treatments encourage the production of Testosterone and sperm.
Clomid is a combination of two active compounds, Enclomiphene Citrate and Zuclomiphene. The benefits of Clomid on Male Sexual Health are primarily the result of the Enclomiphene component of the medication.
The issue with Off-Label prescription of Clomid is that Zuclomiphene does increase the level of Estrogen in the body by a slight amount, meaning that the ideal form of the medication would omit Zuclomiphene entirely. Because of the Estrogenic effects of Zuclomiphene, Clomid is often prescribed in combination with Arimadex in order to counteract those effects and optimize treatment.
Enclomiphene Shown to Be Effective in Stage-2 FDA Trial
In the second stage of clinical research for Enclomiphene Citrate, medical specialists from the Houston campus of the Baylor College of Medicine and Repros Therapeutrics provided 73 male patients with Enclomiphene Citrate for the treatment of Low-T caused by inhibited stimulation of the testes. This is most commonly the result of natural aging, but there are other factors which can impede the release of precursors from the pituitary and hypothalamus as well.
The study went according to the hypotheses supported by Off-Label use of the medication. The researchers found that Enclomiphene Citrate was incredibly effective at increasing Free and Total Testosterone to youthful levels, as well as LH and FSH Levels, which are necessary for proper sexual function.
As a result, Enclomiphene Citrate had no inhibitive effect upon the production of sperm, and perhaps even improved fertility among patients, though this is unclear.
Enclomiphene Works Better Than Clomid for Men
The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Ron Wiehle, explains that Enclomiphene Citrate works via the same mechanism as Clomid, which is prescribed Off-Label, but appears to do so with improved consistency. Further research could prove or disprove that notion, but because Clomid is no longer under patent, there is no financial incentive to study its effects.
On the other hand, Enclomiphene Citrate is still under patent, and is potentially effective for a greater subset of the male population, which provides the motivation for funding and research by private pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Repros Therapeutrics.
Enclomiphene Slightly Reduces IGF-1 Levels
Prior research shows that Enclomiphene Citrate does have a slight suppressive effect upon IGF-1 Production in men. This means that Enclomiphene is likely not a good option for men that simulataneously suffer from significant HGH Deficiency and Testosterone Deficiency simultaneously. This does mean, however, that Enclomiphene Citrate is safer for the prostate than Testosterone Therapy. Further study is needed to elucidate the impact of Enclomiphene upon IGF-1.
Enclomiphene to Be Marketed as Androxal
Although Enclomiphene Citrate is not available on the open market quite yet, the plans are to sell and distribute the medication under the brand name Androxal. Androxal will be specially formulated for male use, to provide the optimal amount of medication to restore the youthful cascade of male hormones necessary to restore vitality and sexual potency.
One reason why there is so much interest in Enclomiphene Citrate is that men in America are choosing to have children later and later in the lifespan, meaning that the segment of the population that experiences symptoms related to Low-T while also being interested in having children continues to grow.
Interested in Enclomiphene Now? Talk to Your Doctor About Clomid!
Although Enclomiphene Citrate is not currently on the market, you can still talk to your doctor about Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate), and find out if you are a candidate for treatment. Clomid is designed and certified for use by women, but there are many physicians all across the country that are highly experienced with the treatment regimen. Clomid may never gain enough traction for FDA-Approval, but the treatment has been used effectively for decades.
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