How effective is testosterone in treating erectile dysfunction

For many years, scientists and doctors have tried to figure out the cause of aging, but there is growing evidence to support the theory that aging is a multifactorial phenomenon. That is, this is a process affected by many factors, which include a lifestyle, a genetic predisposition, nutritional habits, habitat, social status, etc.

One of the most significant aging factors for both men and women is an activity of sex hormones, and if we’re talking about male organism, this is mainly testosterone – the most important male sex hormone, responsible for sex drive and spermatogenesis. Besides, testosterone regulates phosphate and nitrogen metabolism. Low blood testosterone negatively affects the overall metabolism, which contributes to the weight gain, decrease of libido and the development of a number of diseases, in particular, cardiovascular ones.

Therapy for men with a lack of testosterone

Hormone replacement therapy

If the man’s body produces an insufficient amount of testosterone, a completely natural method of treatment is to conduct replacement therapy (the use of synthetic testosterone, which has the same effect on the body as natural testosterone produced in the male gonads).

Testosterone replacement therapy can be carried out orally (pills and capsules), in the form of injections, transdermally (testosterone patches, gels and creams), as well as subcutaneously (testosterone implants).

The choice of one or another form of the drug is determined by the doctor. Most often, these are intramuscular injections. The effect of oral testosterone preparations is less pronounced; therefore, their prescription makes sense only in case of a slight lack of blood testosterone.

Recently, transdermal forms of testosterone preparations have become increasingly popular. Such forms of drugs quickly create the necessary level of hormone in blood, but at the same time, they aren’t metabolized in the liver, which explains their higher safety profile.

Stimulation therapy

It often happens that with the low level of blood testosterone, male sex glands (testicles) retain the ability to produce an adequate amount of hormone. In this case, we are talking about insufficient stimulation of testicles for testosterone production. And in recent years, stimulation therapy with chorionic gonadotropin has been used to carry out such stimulation. The goal of such treatment is a stimulation of spermatogenesis and production of endogenous (own) testosterone. As you can understand, such treatment is much more efficient and safer than hormone replacement therapy, as in this case, male body will produce the necessary amount of androgens (male sex hormones) on its own.

Gonadotropic hormones regulate the activity of the male sex glands. Such hormones are: luteinizing hormone (LH), responsible for the stimulation of Leydig cells (cells that produce testosterone), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), initiating and enhancing sperm production, as well as prolactin, increasing the effect of LH and FSH.

Studies of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin, conducted in the mid-1990s, showed that this hormone has LH activity, and is capable of activating the production of testosterone in Leydig cells. In this, chorionic gonadotropin has a longer and stronger effect than LH, which explains its choice as the main drug for stimulation therapy for androgen deficiency in men.

As a rule, blood testosterone level increases by 50% or more already on the fourth day of stimulation therapy with chorionic gonadotropin, which is an optimal therapy result. If such an increase in testosterone levels is not observed, a decision is made to carry out hormone replacement therapy.

Growth hormone and testosterone

The pharmacologists have long called the growth hormone (somatotropin) “the fountain of youth”. While in childhood, somatotropin is responsible for the growth and development of the body, in teens and adults, it is responsible for the muscle growth, body restoration, strong bones, normal metabolic rate, heart health, as well as a normal testosterone level.

The thing is that a growth hormone and testosterone are synergistic hormones. If there is not enough testosterone in the body, this leads to an insufficient production of growth hormone, which affects the man’s well-being. It causes slow metabolism, sleep impairment, decreased endurance, increased bone fragility and enhanced concentration of low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), which inevitably leads to atherosclerotic changes in the vessels.

Therefore, stimulation therapy with chorionic gonadotropin or replacement therapy with testosterone preparations is important in terms of both the health of the male reproductive system and the general health.