Treatment Options for Andropause
Andropause is part of a normal aging process. Most men can manage the changes smoothly when they have more understanding about the process and better psychological support. Testosterone replacement therapy may be considered if the symptoms are bothering them.
Your doctor will carefully check by blood tests or saliva tests and physical examination for potential candidates of testosterone replacement therapy. The goal of testosterone replacement therapy is to minimize, prevent or reverse the effect of our age-related decline of testosterone. Administration of adequate testosterone may have the following benefits:
- improvement in libido and erectile function
- improvement in body composition (ratio of fat to lean muscle mass).
- improvement in bone density.
- improvement of cognitive function.
The options for testosterone replacement therapy include oral capsules, sublingual tablets, skin creams or gels, injections and skin patches. The therapy is shown to be highly effective at relieving andropause symptoms within 3-6 weeks.
There are two conditions in which testosterone replacement therapy should never be used. They are prostate cancer and breast cancer in male. In addition, there are several other conditions where this therapy may be unsuitable, such as liver and heart diseases. Testosterone can only be taken under the direction from your doctor. Self-treatment may result in serious side-effects, such as impotence and infertility.
