The hormone of masculinity, or Testosterone, is a male sex hormone that we are often familiar with, but this male hormone does not only play a leading role in sexual performance alone.
Let’s get to know Testosterone deeply to the core. What are the male hormones? How many types of male hormones are there? Is it abnormal if the body has too much male hormone? Because the male hormone Testosterone is more important than you think…
Male hormone is ….
Male hormone, or Testosterone hormone, is one of the sex hormones that determines your masculinity, including physical characteristics, the amount of body hair, muscle and bone development, as well as sexual desire and sperm production. So what are the male hormones? It is the Testosterone hormone itself, which is produced in the testes and peaks in the early twenties.
How many types of male hormones are there? Mainly, the male hormone that determines masculine characteristics is only Testosterone, which plays a major role. However, males also have a very small amount of Estrogen hormone to keep the body balanced. Females also have this Testosterone hormone but in very small amounts because the female hormone is Estrogen, which is much higher than Testosterone in females to define feminine characteristics.
Do you know the male hormone Testosterone well? Nowadays, there might still be some misunderstandings and false beliefs about male hormones.
- If you have a lot of Testosterone, it means you are more masculine — “Completely wrong!” The truth is, if you have higher than normal levels of Testosterone in your body, some of the Testosterone will convert to Estrogen to balance it out, and having excessively high levels of male hormones may cause you to be more aggressive than usual.
Too much male hormone is not very beneficial to the body, and the normal level of male hormone should be between 300 – 1,000 nanograms/deciliter, with an average of 679 nanograms/deciliter. If you are healthy, the level of male hormone will be between 400-600 nanograms/deciliter. Of course, your body will produce peak male hormone during late adolescence to adulthood, then the amount will gradually decrease as you age. This can be noticed after age 40 or during andropause, with irritability.
Having too low male hormone is also not good. In cases of low hormone during adolescence, it may affect the development of genital organs, scrotum, sperm production, deep voice, sparse facial hair, and muscle size and strength development. Another case is low hormone levels as age increases, causing erectile dysfunction, mood swings, and reduced sexual performance….
If you have low hormone levels, what are the causes and symptoms, and how can low hormone conditions be treated…
Of course, aging is an important factor, but there are other causes that can lead to low hormone levels or fluctuating male hormone levels that affect daily life.
What causes hormone levels to decrease?
- Having chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or obesity
- Kidney health problems, hepatitis, AIDS, injury to the genital organs
- Cancer treatment with radiation therapy or chemotherapy
- Alcohol addiction
Having low male hormone levels or low hormone conditions also affect physical health. If you do not know you have low hormone levels, observe the following symptoms:
- Significant decrease in physical strength
- Weight gain, joint and bone pain
- Often have trouble sleeping or sleep but not deeply
- Feeling lethargic and depressed; some feel less enthusiastic
- Decreased sexual desire
Symptoms that may indicate you have low male hormone levels
- Feeling that the penis does not become erect as well as usual
- Lack of energy, feeling tired as if not fully rested
- Significant decrease in sexual feelings
- Easily stressed, anxious, and lacking confidence
- More mood swings than usual
Male hormone deficiency or low hormone condition mainly has two treatment methods:
- Lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of low hormone conditions
- Avoid alcohol and smoking
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight, not too low or too high
- Get enough rest and try not to stress too much
- Eat a proper and nutritious diet
- Treatment with testosterone replacement therapy
Currently, testosterone replacement therapy is used to balance the functioning of various body systems to normal, including sexual desire and sexual performance. Nowadays, there are many types of testosterone replacement medications available, including oral medications, injections, topical gels, or patches, depending on the doctor’s recommendation to suit you.
