July2015_GET TO KNOW YOUR HEALTH

Hormones – Part 4:  Testosterone

The very mention of the word testosterone can conjure up interesting mental images of oversized man mountains at the gym, walking around puffing their chests, drinking protein shakes.  But surprisingly, testosterone is less like those thoughts than you may think.

A sentence long recap: Hormones are chemicals that act like little itty bitty couriers, flying around inside our body.  And yep, you guessed it, testosterone belongs to the hormone ‘family’ where (pun intended) it kinda plays the dad role.  But like most of the hormones covered so far, testosterone is found in both sexes, with production in women being palmed off primarily to the adrenal gland, but also to the ovaries, the placenta and even the skin.

HANG ON!…..Sit down, don’t go running to buy a razor just yet.  It’s ok, testosterone is actually necessary for a woman’s body to function, because testosterone is the step that precedes the synthesis of estrogen.  Directly though, it helps maintain bone density, lean muscle mass, pain tolerance, and most importantly (well, to us guys anyway…), it helps women maintain their sexual desire.  The biggest use of testosterone in women (only a small % of the population) is in combination during HRT treatment where studies have shown better outcomes from treatment.

As mentioned, testosterone is predominately a male hormone, with levels usually being 20 times higher in men than in women.  Greater than 95% of  testosterone is produced in the testes, with small amounts also produced by the adrenal gland.  Testosterone is what makes a man, a man…literally.  Firstly, it initiates the male reproductive organ development, beginning at about 4 weeks after conception and continuing through puberty.  Later it moves to control the development of a man’s secondary sexual characteristics such as tone of voice, facial/body hair, adam’s apple formation and body size/build.  

Testosterone levels naturally begin to drop at 30, by 1% per year.  This can lead to the dreaded ‘male menopause’, sometimes referred to as andropause, and you know….it’s a bit like menopause except SO MUCH WORSE! (a.k.a. man-flu).  Lifestyle factors such as smoking, being overweight, alcohol/drug use and health issues like high BP/cholesterol, diabetes and some other conditions can even cause low testosterone symptoms to manifest as early as in a man’s 20’s.  

The main clinical signs of low testosterone levels to watch for include: a DECREASE in – sexual desire/erectile quality, intellectual capacity, mood, lean muscle mass and bone density; & an INCREASE in – visceral (belly) fat, fatigue, gynecomastia (yes, i mean man boobs); & lastly CHANGES to – body/head hair – look and feel of skin (‘parchment like’).  

There is so much more to say but so few words left with which to say it.  All hormones are restricted in Australia and are only available on prescription, so if you want to know more, want to discuss anything specifically or if any of these things sound a little too familiar, don’t hesitate to drop into the pharmacy for a chat, visit another local health care practitioner or go to www.primecompounding.com.au  for more info.

Written by Andrew Harvey

Dayboro Pharmacy, Phone 3425 1435, 

Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5.30pm    Sat 8.30am – 12.30pm