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Androgen deficiency is a medical condition caused by problems with your body’s ability to make testosterone. Either the hormonal signal that tells your testis to make testosterone, or the ability of your testicles to make testosterone, is not working properly. Androgens are necessary for normal development, health and wellbeing, so androgen deficiency can have wide-ranging effects.

Having a lower-than-normal testosterone level does not necessarily mean you have androgen deficiency. Low testosterone can be caused by short-term or long-term illnesses, such as an infection or diabetes. Androgen deficiency affects between 1 in 20 and 1 in 200 men.

Hormones can be thought of as chemical messengers

They communicate with tissues in the body to bring about many different changes. Hormones are needed for different processes like growth, reproduction and well-being. Androgens are the group of sex hormones that give men their ‘male’ characteristics (collectively called virilisation).

The major sex hormone in men is testosterone, which is produced mainly in the testes. The testes are controlled by a small gland in the brain called the pituitary gland, which in turn is controlled by an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. They are also responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men, including facial and body hair growth and voice change.

Androgens also affect development and metabolism

The term androgen deficiency means your body is not making enough androgens, particularly testosterone, for full health. The effects of this depend on how severe the deficiency is, its cause and the age at which the deficiency begins.

The major sex hormone in men is testosterone

Some of the functions of testosterone in the male body include:

  • sperm production. When there is not enough testosterone circulating in the body

  • it can cause a wide range of symptoms.

    However

  • a number of these symptoms may be non-specific

  • can mimic the symptoms of other diseases

Some of the symptoms of androgen deficiency include:

  • The most common cause of androgen deficiency is a genetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome
  • or because there’s a problem with the production of the hormones that control the testicles’ function (secondary hypogonadism)

, some types of infections (e.g. ) or other diseases (e.g. Secondary hypogonadism can be caused by some genetic syndromes (e.g. Kallmann’s syndrome), disease, or injury to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.

Androgen deficiency is diagnosed using a number of assessments, including: – a full history is taken, including details about fertility, sexual function, symptoms of androgen deficiency, other medical problems, occupation, medication and – a thorough general examination is performed, including measuring the size of the testicles and checking for breast development – are taken to determine the level of testosterone in the blood.

Ideally, a fasting blood test should be taken in the morning to detect the body’s peak release of testosterone. Testosterone levels should be measured on two separate mornings.

The pituitary hormone levels should also be measured – may be required to determine if testosterone deficiency is due to another underlying medical condition. These may include blood tests to check for of the brain (to examine the pituitary gland). Semen analysis will help to determine the potential fertility of men with androgen deficiency.

How androgen deficiency is treated depends on whether it’s due to primary or secondary hypogonadism. Management of primary hypogonadism involves testosterone replacement therapy using capsules, injections, skin patches, creams or gels, and is very effective at relieving symptoms of androgen deficiency.

Management of secondary hypogonadism involves medical care to deal with the underlying cause, often with testosterone replacement therapy.

Once testosterone levels are restored to the normal range, side effects of testosterone replacement therapy are not common. Some of the possible side effects include: problems with urine flow (older men). There is a large commercial market for testosterone products or herbal products to increase testosterone production.

Do not start taking medications based on symptoms of low testosterone without consulting your doctor, who will assess your overall health and check for any serious conditions. Using products that you buy online may: have unknown side-effects. Androgens are sex hormones Androgens are

  • crucial for male sexual reproductive function bone muscle Testosterone starting
  • completing the process of puberty bone muscle development growth of body hair including facial hair change of vocal cords to produce the adult male voice sex drive ( libido )
  • sexual function prostate gland growth
  • function Symptoms of androgen deficiency reduced sexual desire hot flushes
  • sweating breast development (gynaecomastia) lethargy
  • fatigue depression reduced muscle mass strength increased body fat particularly around the abdomen weaker erections
  • orgasms lower sex drive reduced amount of ejaculate loss of body hair trouble sleeping reduced bone mass
  • therefore increased risk of osteoporosis Causes of androgen deficiency Primary hypogonadism can be caused by genetic abnormalities
  • undescended testes
  • testicular injury mumps haemochromatosis Diagnosis of androgen deficiency medical history drug use (prescribed
  • non-prescribed) physical examination blood tests other tests iron levels
  • genetic tests (to diagnose an underlying genetic condition
  • such as Klinefelter’s syndrome)
  • or MRI scans Treatment of androgen deficiency Side effects of treatment of androgen deficiency weight gain mild acne mood changes

Key Points

  • Androgen deficiency is a medical condition caused by problems with your body’s ability to make testosterone
  • Low testosterone can be caused by short-term or long-term illnesses, such as an infection or diabetes
  • major sex hormone in men is testosterone, which is produced mainly in the testes
  • effects of this depend on how severe the deficiency is, its cause and the age at which the deficiency begins
  • When there is not enough testosterone circulating in the body, it can cause a wide range of symptoms