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Prescriptions
Written for Bio-Identical Testosterone Triple in Last Ten Years
Testosterone
Hormone Replacement Therapy is quickly becoming one of the hottest
topics in endocrinology. As a result of new research and new methods
of Testosterone Treatment, more and more people are turning to the
hormone Testosterone in order to improve their health and their love
life.
Testosterone
Prescribed More Often Than Ever!
A new
research study presents evidence that Testosterone is being
prescribed at a rate three times faster than it ever has in the
United States for male patients over the age of forty. Twelve years
ago, in the year 2001, only 0.81 percent of males in the United
States utilized Testosterone in any form. Today, that percentage has
increased to over three percent of males!
Researchers
find that there are many reasons why there has been such a rapid
increase in interest in this potent hormone. In the past fifteen
years, Testosterone has become increasingly advertised in a manner
which reaches directly out to potential patients. Most of these
advertisements have been directed to males in their forties and
fifties, during the period in which the symptoms of Testosterone and
the aging process are producing more and more of an effect on a man's
life.
In
addition to this, more clinics are starting to specialize in the
areas of Hormone Replacement, Aging, Longevity, and General Health
and Wellness, increasing the number of doctors and physicians that
work heavily with Testosterone and Other Hormones by virtue of their
specialization.
A third
reason for this expansion is that Testosterone HRT is becoming
simpler and easier by the year as new treatment methods become
available in the United States.
Testosterone
Debate Rages On 
Although
the use of Recombinant Testosterone for Hormone Replacement has risen
dramatically in recent years, the debate over the benefits and risks
of the treatment are hotly contested around the country. Testosterone
Replacement has been shown to produce some beneficial and potent
changes in the human body.
Bio-Identical
Testosterone is proven to significantly increase muscle mass while
reducing the fatigue associated with low decreased strength. In
addition to this, Testosterone vastly increases libido and sex drive
in patients that are Deficient in Testosterone. Other studies,
however, have shown that under certain circumstances, Testosterone
Replacement can actually have a negative affect upon fertility and
sperm counts in male patients.
Also,
there is a mild correlation between Testosterone Hormone Replacement
Therapy and Prostate Cancer that is being explored further in order
to uncover potential hard links. At this point, evidence seems to
suggest that Testosterone Treatments have a negative effect upon
Prostate Tumors, but does not seem to increase the risk of the
development of new tumors. In any case, Male patients that utilize
Testosterone should meet on a regular basis with their general
practitioner in order to maintain proper health and uncover any
negative issues before they become overly problematic.
Testosterone
and the Lifespan
It is a
proven fact that Testosterone Production slowly and steadily declines
throughout the lifespan, but there is some controversy regarding
exactly what level of deficiency should be officially declared Low-T.
The scientific term for Low-T as well as Testosterone Deficiency is
Hypogonadism, referring to an inability of the body to efficiently
produce sex hormones. This deficiency is primarily defined in two
ways: Primary Hypogonadism and Secondary Hypogonadism.
Primary
and Secondary Hypogonadism
Most male
patients experience the former, Primary Hypogonadism. Usually in this
form of deficiency, the Testes slowly lose their ability to
effectively produce and secrete Testosterone, at a rate which
averages around one to two percentage points every year starting in
the later twenties or early thirties. Some patients may experience
this form of Hypogonadism for other reasons such as Testicular
Trauma, however.
The
second, less common form of Testosterone Deficiency is Secondary
Hypogonadism. This type of deficiency originates in the brain,
usually from the Pituitary Gland or the Hypothalamus, preventing the
Testes from getting the appropriate stimuli to produce Hormonal
Testosterone.
What is
the Threshold for Low-T?
The most
commonly agreed upon standard for Testosterone Deficiency is a Free
Testosterone level that is beneath 300 ng/dl, although the number may
very dependently upon the physician. If Testosterone Levels are
beneath this threshold, then the patient will likely qualify for
Hormone Replacement with Testosterone.
Testosterone
Research Analysis
In the
research that we mentioned at the beginning of the article, around
fifty percent of patients that received Testosterone Hormone
Replacement Therapy were treated after Hypogonadism Diagnosis. A
surprising piece of data is that nearly one quarter of patients
received no diagnostic testing in order to evaluate their hormone
levels before they received treatment.
Also,
among the males that did undergo Testosterone Testing, it is not
completely clear exactly how many of the patients actually suffered
from Low Testosterone. Researchers explain that Free Testosterone
Production can be sensitive to many factors, including the time at
which the test is administered.
AMA
Opinion on Testosterone
In a
recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the
researchers of this study wrote that additional examination is
necessary in order to figure out exactly how many patients that seem
to have Testosterone Deficiency are prescribed Testosterone
Treatments even though they truly have clinically normal levels of
the hormone. By evaluating this data, scientists hope that
Testosterone Replacement can be prescribed more appropriately to
patients that are truly in need.
On the
other hand, as our knowledge of Testosterone Hormone Replacement
Therapy expands, we may find that the Threshold in which benefits
outweigh risks is higher than we first suspected, in which case, more
patients will qualify for treatment.
Make
Sure Low-T Symptoms are Really the Result of Low Testosterone
If you
believe that you may be suffering from the symptoms of Testosterone
Deficiency, it is important to rule out other potential causes of
your symptoms before turning fully to Testosterone Replacement
Therapy. Dr. Lizza, a New York City Urologist, explains that many
symptoms that seem to be the result of Testosterone Deficiency may
actually be due to other disorders that cause similar symptoms in the
same stage of life.
Although
Testosterone Replacement can be an effective tool to treat the
symptoms of the disorder, if Testosterone Deficiency is not your
primary medical issue, you may simply be covering up other underlying
health conditions. Dr. Lizza also claims that for many patients,
other common treatments for erectile issues are likely better for
patients that do not suffer from a legitimate Deficiency of
Testosterone.
Testosterone
Research Data Source and Qualifications
The data
for this study was obtained from the files of a large health
insurance provider, and the data-set included over ten million males
over the age of forty in order to determine the exact number of
patients utilizing Testosterone Replacement Products.
Of course,
the data-set obtained for this research cannot be used to provide a
complete view regarding what percentage of males use Testosterone,
because access to Testosterone through Private Health Insurance in
not fully predictive in revealing the number of patients without
healthcare, or the number of patients with public insurance through
Medicare, that choose to turn to Testosterone.
Hormone
Replacement Therapy: The Future of Medicine?
In the
end, the researchers feel that more testing is needed in order to
examine Testosterone HRT, in order to maximize the effectiveness of
treatment while limiting the number of patients that receive the
therapy when other treatments may be more effective at safely
improving their health care situation.
There is
no doubt that in the coming years, our knowledge about the pros and
cons of Testosterone Hormone Treatments will increase tremendously.
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