will increasing testosterone help libido if T levels are not low?

[tsabar]

i have been considering testo-max or other non-intrusive booster to increase T levels in an effort to increase my libido, which is very low. however, my blood test shows T levels within normal range.

could boosting T still help?

p.s. i'm 47, i'm healthy with no medical issues and do crossfit, attracted to my wife with whom i have a great relationship, no performance anxiety, no stress or mental health issues.

 

[Systemlord]

i have been considering testo-max or other non-intrusive booster to increase T levels in an effort to increase my libido, which is very low. however, my blood test shows T levels within normal range.

Being in the normal range doesn't automatically mean healthy or good. Libido is usually the first to take a hit when T starts declining.

DHT is the main driver of libido and is converted from testosterone. Healthy estrogen levels are also needed for a strong libido.

Also test boosters are mostly scams and aren't regulated and the efficiency is an unknown.

T Boosters Intake in Athletes

Testosterone Boosters Intake in Athletes: Current Evidence and Further Directions Abstract “Testosterone boosters” (TB)—are supplements that are claimed to increase testosterone levels in the human body. While the consumption of TB may be popular among athletes, there is insufficient...

www.excelmale.com

Defining "Healthy" Testosterone

More Science-Based "Low Normal" Testosterone Facts

• "Low normal" total testosterone concentrations are associated with reductions in motivation, initiative, self-confidence, concentration and memory, sleep quality, muscle bulk and strength, diminished physical or work performance, feeling sad or blue, depressed mood, mild anemia, and increased body fat and body mass index

• Low normal serum testosterone concentrations are associated with reduced male sexual desire, function, performance and potency.
• Low normal serum testosterone concentrations increase the risk for premature death from any cause.
• Low normal serum testosterone concentrations increase the risk for death from cardiovascular disease, and increase the combined risk for suffering a first stroke or first transient ischemic attack.
• Low normal serum testosterone concentrations increase the risk for both memory loss31 and developing clinical depression.
• Low normal serum testosterone concentrations increase the risk of developing an increased level of systemic inflammation.

Defining "Healthy" Testosterone

Multiple peer-reviewed papers state that "testosterone deficiencies" are more prevalent and "desirable testosterone" levels in men are actually much higher than what is currently being considered as "normal" in doctors' practices across the country. Case in point: A cross-sectional study of Swedish men ages 69 to 80 years showed the risk for premature death from any cause26 and the risk for suffering a major cardiovascular event27 were inversely correlated with the total serum testosterone concentration (i.e., the higher the testosterone levels, the lower the risk of death).

Specifically with regards to cardiovascular events, men in the highest quartile of testosterone (at or higher than 550 ng/dL) had a lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with men with lower testosterone.27

More importantly, details from this study show that it did not matter if a man's total testosterone was very low (below 340 ng/dL ) or moderately low (up to 549 ng/dL ) – all men with T levels below 549 ng/dL had a similar increased risk for suffering a cardiovascular event. Only when total testosterone exceeded 550 ng/dL did cardiovascular risk drop.

This is truly alarming, as cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of men in the United States and even more – this study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. These researchers documented a 30 percent reduction in cardiovascular events as well as a decrease in cerebrovascular disease incidence. Men with the highest total testosterone had a 24 percent reduced risk of transient ischemic attack or full-blown stroke.27 Clearly, based on this study, the only target for "healthy testosterone" is to maintain total testosterone at or above 550 ng/dL.

As a health care practitioner, please note the following:

• According to LabCorp, the "healthy reference range" for total testosterone is 348–1,197 ng/dL. So, the lower part of this range completely ignores recent science that shows total testosterone levels need to be maintained above 550 ng/dL.
• 
  
• Subjectively, this broad range is ridiculous. As any 45-year-old man who has suffered with low normal testosterone knows, there is a world of difference in how a man feels and performs (both mentally and physically) when testosterone is "low normal" versus higher up the healthy "normal" reference range.

 

[tsabar]

Being in the normal range doesn't automatically mean healthy or good. Libido is usually the first to take a hit when T starts declining.

DHT is the main driver of libido and is converted from testosterone. Healthy estrogen levels are also needed for a strong libido.

Also test boosters are mostly scams and aren't regulated and the efficiency is an unknown.

T Boosters Intake in Athletes

Testosterone Boosters Intake in Athletes: Current Evidence and Further Directions Abstract “Testosterone boosters” (TB)—are supplements that are claimed to increase testosterone levels in the human body. While the consumption of TB may be popular among athletes, there is insufficient...

www.excelmale.com

Defining "Healthy" Testosterone

ok, i'll get retested since it was around 380 ng/dl 2 years ago.

so are injections the only proven method to increase testosterone?

 

[Systemlord]

ok, i'll get retested since it was around 380 ng/dl 2 years ago.

That's not a healthy level. You can have a lower T value one day and a higher value the next, depending on what you eat that day, quality of sleep.

Also you need to be checking the Free T using the Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration method. You might as well check DHT and estrogen.

Testosterone Threshold for Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men: A Locally Weighted Regression Analysis - PubMed

These data showed that a testosterone threshold of 440 ng/dL was associated with increased Framingham 10-year CVD risk in middle-aged and elderly men. Poor sexual performance, decreased morning erection, and loss of libido had an impact on the testosterone threshold for CVD risk. The threshold...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Testosterone and the Heart - PMC

Testosterone (T) has a number of important effects on the cardiovascular system. In men, T levels begin to decrease after age 40, and this decrease has been associated with an increase in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CV) risk. Low T ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of hypogonadism in men - PMC

Hypogonadism or Testosterone Deficiency (TD) in adult men as defined by low levels of serum testosterone accompanied by characteristic symptoms and/or signs as detailed further on can be found in long-recognized clinical entities such as Klinefelter ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

This study showed that the prevalence of loss of libido or vigor increased at testosterone concentrations below 15 nmol or 433 ng/dL.

The most widely accepted parameter to establish the presence of hypogonadism is the measurement of TT. Unfortunately, no consensus has been reached regarding the lower TT threshold defining TD, and there are no generally accepted lower limits of normal TT [60]. This lack of consensus follows from the fact that no studies have shown a clear threshold for TT or free T that distinguishes men who will respond to treatment from those who will not.

 

[Systemlord]

so are injections the only proven method to increase testosterone?

Yes other than eating healthy and working out, there are gels, creams, injections, and now newer oral gel capsules.

I'm on Jatenzo @ 237mg twice daily, the recommended starting dosage.

 

[tsabar]

Yes other than eating healthy and working out, there are gels, creams, injections, and now newer oral gel capsules.

I'm on Jatenzo @ 237mg twice daily, the recommended starting dosage.

i'd prefer non-intrusive topical applications if there's evidence that works too. i'll schedule with my doctor to get retested and ask for a prescription. thanx!

 

[Systemlord]

i'd prefer non-intrusive topical applications if there's evidence that works too.

If it turns out you don't absorb the gels very well, very common, you can get him to write you a prescription for Empowers T-cream which has a much higher concentration (20% versus 1.62%) of T and the cost is very reasonable.

 

[madman]

Being in the normal range doesn't automatically mean healthy or good. Libido is usually the first to take a hit when T starts declining.

DHT is the main driver of libido and is converted from testosterone. Healthy estrogen levels are also needed for a strong libido.

Also test boosters are mostly scams and aren't regulated and the efficiency is an unknown.

T Boosters Intake in Athletes

Testosterone Boosters Intake in Athletes: Current Evidence and Further Directions Abstract “Testosterone boosters” (TB)—are supplements that are claimed to increase testosterone levels in the human body. While the consumption of TB may be popular among athletes, there is insufficient...

www.excelmale.com

Defining "Healthy" Testosterone

Give your head a shake!

Confused libido? Or...oh, that ain't right!

I am about 10 weeks post starting HRT with cream based testosterone. I realize that libido isn't directly tied to higher levels of total or free T is better or boosts libido. However, with the cream, I was prescribed to apply it, twice a day once in the morning on rising, and again about 4 hours...

www.excelmale.com

 

[bixt]

DHT is the main driver of libido

Why the change of mind?


The other day it was....

Things that affect libido:

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Poor sleep
• Medications
• Stress/depression
• Low testosterone
• Infections
• High prolactin
• Low thyroid hormones
• Alcohol & drugs
• Surgery
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol

 

[Systemlord]

Why the change of mind?


The other day it was....

The other day (?), actually that was posted on Dec 14, 2021.

I said DHT has a strong influence on libido, I didn't say that it is the ONLY thing that affects libido. There's a reason why men report higher libido on topicals, that's because of the higher conversion of T->DHT.

Give a guy finasteride, drop his DHT below range and typically men report lost libido and or they have lost their mojo, they just don't feel like a man anymore.