REIGNITING YOUR SEX LIFE: THE TESTOSTERONE EFFECT
Scientists also know that libido is linked to the male sex hormone testosterone. Technically an androgen, a type of steroid that acts as a male sex hormone, testosterone provides the masculinizing elements that orchestrate development of muscle tissue, the lowering of the voice during puberty, and overall growth, including that of the penis. It has other consequential applications as well, affecting libido, memory, and lean body mass. Interestingly, at birth, boys have the same testosterone levels as young adult males. They drop quickly, however, and remain low until puberty. At that time they rise, setting in motion the development of masculine characteristics.
Testosterone production continues to climb as men get older, eventually tapering off at around the age of forty. At that point they drop off about 10 percent each decade. By the time a man reaches sixty, his level may be one third what it was between the ages of twenty and forty. In that period of time, his reading ranges from 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter of blood. It’s estimated that about one third of men over the age of fifty have lowered testosterone levels, and by the age of sixty-five, more than 60 percent have low testosterone. Despite a lowering of testosterone, the «free» testosterone levels usually remain in the normal and adequate range. It’s only a distinct minority of men who require some testosterone supplementation. The hallmark of the testosterone-depleted man is decreased libido.
Nature may have intended testosterone to decline with age. The body may be guarding itself against the enlarging of the prostate gland —which grows in the presence of testosterone—by dropping down normal production of the hormone. Still, the significance of that decline remains unclear. Circulating in a man’s bloodstream and acting on his brain to enhance his sexual desire, the hormone may also intensify penile sensation. Testosterone levels rise and fall throughout the day; some researchers think there is an hourly difference. There is even a monthly variation. Typically, testosterone levels are lowest in February and highest in the autumn.
But despite the fact that testosterone has a very pronounced effect on libido, it has little to do with whether or not a man achieves an erection. Even so, some doctors mistakenly link diminished testosterone levels with erectile dysfunction and prescribe testosterone patches or monthly injections for their patients. Raising minimally depressed testosterone levels rarely, if ever, improves erections.
Testosterone replacement is highly controversial, except in cases of men with a condition known as hypogonadism. Men with this ailment have extremely low levels of testosterone—under 300 nanograms per deciliter—due to decreased function of the testes. Their symptoms include lessened libido, mood swings, insomnia, irritability, decreased bone mass, weakness, lethargy, and loss of lean body mass. These men also have decreased erection capability, an overall drop in sex drive, and are at risk for osteoporosis.
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