A “testosterone before and after the replacement therapy, how does it feel?” This is the question that bothers many men before starting the treatment. Is it worth it? What to expect? Is there a health hazard? Is a low T self-diagnosis true? This article will help you to find out the answers to all these questions.
As you probably know, testosterone primarily affects muscle building and libido strength. It also has an impact on many other hormone receptors that are located in the human body. Because of this, the discomfort brought by low testosterone levels is not limited to a lack of results in the gym and bedroom, so do not leave the T hormone deficiency untreated. If you’ve previously self-diagnosed the possible low T, be sure to consider professional diagnostics.
There are a lot of drug options to obtain testosterone results before and after the therapy and make sure they are perfect. It can be a well-controlled dosage and inexpensive testosterone injection, a patch, skin, and nasal gel, a capsule implanted under the skin, a buccal “tablet” and other types of testosterone drugs. Every patient can choose the best option for themselves.
Of course, only an endocrinologist can make an official diagnosis based on one or two blood tests (these may be covered by insurance). The good news is that in recent years testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has become more effective than ever before and can eliminate all of the following 8 signs of low T.
Signs of Low T
Reduced Sex Drive
lowered libido is one of the most common signs of low testosterone levels. As statistics show, every man who had complaints of low T levels suffered from low sex drive. In addition to a reduced desire for sex, men with insufficient hormone levels have a reduced desire for masturbation, fewer sexual fantasies, and the absence of erotic dreams.
The areas of the brain responsible for sexual desire, including the amygdala, are filled with testosterone receptors, and the hormone activates them like a key in the ignition switch. When testosterone levels are low, the activation does not occur and therefore sexual desire remains weak. Decreased libido due to the lack of the T hormone, in turn, provokes problems with erection, although testosterone does not directly cause any erectile issues.
The Decrease in Muscle Mass
Testosterone helps in muscle building. This process allows the body to produce and assemble proteins that form the building blocks of human muscles. If the testosterone level is low, then the body is in a catalytic state, when muscle tissue is destroyed.
Patients with low testosterone levels observe a strong decrease in muscle mass several weeks after the hormone levels drop. Studies conducted in Japan show that men with low levels of the T-hormone had an increased risk of entering a catabolic state by 2/3 times compared with men of the same age, but with normal blood testosterone levels.
Reduction of Genitals
Due to the lack of the required level of testosterone in the blood, the tissues of the penis, scrotum, and testicles begin to atrophy. For this reason, the penis loses in length and volume. Patients notice that their testicles also decrease in size (up to 50%), and become soft on touch. In the case of the testicles, the process is most likely irreversible, but concerning the size of the penis, TRT brings good chances of returning it to its previous state, and sometimes even increasing its size.
Increase in Body Fat
Studies in Australia have shown that low testosterone levels in men increase the activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase. This enzyme provokes lipids to enter the cells of visceral fat increasing its amount. Due to this, in men who had low testosterone levels during the year, the total amount of body fat increased by 14%, and the amount of visceral fat by 22%.
Memory Problems
Cognitive and memory problems are common in people with low testosterone levels. According to research conducted in 2015, in men with low T hormone levels, cognitive functions and the ability to remember information significantly decreased. The brain areas responsible for memory and attention have testosterone receptors, so when T-hormone does not penetrate these receptors, some areas of the brain stop functioning well enough. The treatment quite effectively eliminates this problem in about six months.
Constant Bad Mood
Of course, the presence of the mentioned above problems can already cause a bad mood. But besides this, low testosterone levels are an ‘instigator’ of a constant bad mood and even depression. More than 23% of people diagnosed with low T levels have depression.
So, as in the case of poor memory, that happens because human brain receptors are not filled with testosterone at the proper level. An additional problem is that constant bad mood and depression trigger a ‘vicious cycle’ in which these mental factors forward exacerbate testosterone production in the testes.
Deterioration of Bone Condition
Human bone is a living tissue that often breaks down and repairs itself. If a person has a low testosterone level, then his/her bones become brittle, and the body does not have time to restore them properly. Thus, men have an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. The studies have shown that testosterone results before and after in terms of bone condition noticeably shifted for the better after testosterone treatment (on average after one year of the therapy).
The Risk of Heart Disease
Testosterone replacement therapy has a positive effect on the condition of the heart in men with cardiovascular issues. Testosterone promotes better blood circulation in the body. Men predisposed to blood clots should treat TRT very carefully because the therapy can cause the worsening of their condition or some complications, according to UK studies.
For this reason, both the benefits and risks should be discussed with a doctor before starting the treatment. During the therapy, the dosage and frequency of medications containing T hormone may be changed to create and adjust the most suitable conditions to supply your body with testosterone.
Before and After Testosterone Treatment Results
If you compare testosterone before and after results you’ll notice it is like to be young again. Although the treatment process is long, you can find positive changes in your health after a few months of therapy.
You already know what problems men face with a lack of testosterone, now we will talk about what the patient expects when starting TRT. It is not just a list of positive testosterone results before and after (although, they are here). These are general indications gathered from several large-scale studies of how people feel when taking hormone replacement therapy with testosterone.
Testosterone injection significantly increases sexual drive
With low levels of testosterone in the blood, the desire to have sex drops dramatically. When you take testosterone, and your T hormone levels return to a normal state, the androgen receptors in the part of your brain that controls desire begin to act like in a healthy person.
The restoration of a healthy sex drive is one of the most important and relevant benefits of TRT. In addition to libido restoration, hormone therapy can also improve erection as testosterone acts on some receptors in the penis, allowing it to capture blood better and maintain an erected state for longer.
However, for men suffering from erectile dysfunction, testosterone replacement therapy alone will not be enough to completely restore a stable erection, since TRT acts as an accompanying medication in the treatment of erectile dysfunction but is not the only way to cure it.
Testosterone therapy before and after photos of muscle growth
Muscle mass shows a very high sensitivity to testosterone, and therefore, perhaps the most noticeable effect of treatment will be a significant increase in muscles. The androgen receptors located in muscle tissue are activated by the hormone and stimulate further muscle growth.
Of course, to see the full effect of testosterone therapy on muscle mass it is not enough to just sit and wait. You will need to go to the gym to train and bring the effect of therapy to the maximum. Many TRT patients report not only significant muscle growth but fat loss as well.
Although testosterone is not directly a weight loss agent, it can contribute to weight loss. Such happens because when the amount of muscles in a person increases, the basal metabolic rate also becomes higher, and the body burns more calories while at rest. Studies conducted in India have shown that weight loss occurs because testosterone motivates a person to get up and do something, thus generally increasing the activity of life.
You will become hardy as if you are 20 again
Most men who come to the doctor with a complaint about low testosterone levels also have complaints about low stamina. When they undergo treatment, their stamina is restored and improved significantly. Dozens of testosterone before and after reviews confirm this.
Testosterone affects mitochondria which produce energy inside cells. T hormone activates intracellular mitochondria, and therefore the cells in the body receive more energy.
Another theory about why TRT improves stamina is the effect of this hormone on the androgen receptors, which, due to the lack of sufficient testosterone, do not work at the proper level, and thus cause increased fatigue.
Overall mood improvement
Many patients admit that testosterone therapy improves their mood. The human brain is a complex thing, so it is difficult to give a complete answer to why men get rid of constant despondency, but if to compare testosterone before and after, the situation after treatment is better.
The general opinion of why this happens is that a person begins to feel healthy and not constantly tired, and, as a result, their mood rises. A 2012 study conducted in the United States confirmed that after 12 months of therapy, the number of TRT patients with symptoms of depression decreased from 17% to 2%, and newer studies also prove this fact.
In addition to the already listed improvements in mood, a person who has finished a TRT cycle can completely get rid of the remaining signs of low T.
Possible Risks Before and After Testosterone
If the dose of the T-hormone is chosen correctly, and you bought a testosterone injection in a US-based licensed pharmacy, then the chance of side effects is very small. To understand what risks self-medication with T hormone can cause let’s list the possible risks.
Decreased size of testes (in case of TRT without hCG)
In normal conditions, the pituitary gland sends out a luteinizing hormone to signal the testicle to produce more testosterone. When you start TRT, the pituitary gland will assume that there is always enough T hormone in your bloodstream and will stop sending signals to the testicles to produce it. So, testicles may be dormant (when they do not produce testosterone or sperm at all).
To avoid shrinkage of the testes a doctor prescribes hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) which is a drug that helps to stimulate the testes to produce testosterone naturally. It is prescribed with testosterone to prevent the testicles from shrinking during treatment.
hCG allows saving fertility while leaving the testes in the same condition they have been in when the T-hormone levels were ok. Sometimes a man should undergo overall diagnostics to determine if his HGH (human growth hormone) is at the required levels, if it is not, then testosterone therapy is combined with HGH replacement for better results and fewer risks.
Swelling of the feet and ankles
This side effect is observed when the amount of testosterone in the body increases and the brain tries to retain a certain amount of fluid in the body. The side effect does not cause any discomfort and goes away within a few days without additional treatment. In many patients, such swelling is not observed at all. Most often, the side effect takes place when a man has taken a large dose of testosterone at once. Don’t overdose on your medication!
Skin changes
With testosterone replacement therapy, the patient’s skin condition can change both for the better or worse. There is only one reason for this – the increased amount of sebum produced (due to TRT), which is not always a bad thing. Complaints about this side effect were received mainly from those men whose skin itself is oily, and because of TRT, they had rashes. This side effect is quite rare and caused by a one-time overdosing.
Gynecomastia (rare)
In every man, regardless of whether he is undergoing testosterone therapy or not, a part of this hormone is transformed into estradiol (the form of estrogen). In men who naturally have large breast tissue, high doses of testosterone can cause mammary feminism.
This side effect is called gynecomastia, but it is quite rare (perhaps one of the rarest TRT side effects). Nevertheless, if it happened, then you should immediately seek treatment from an endocrinologist who will stop testosterone therapy for 1-2 months, after which you will resume treatment combined with taking a drug that blocks the conversion of testosterone into estradiol.
Other risks
TRT has long been suspected to be the cause of heart attacks, strokes, and prostate cancer. All the statements, however, have always been quite contradictory, and in recent years, some of them have been debunked one after another.
As for heart attacks, the main concern among specialists is that testosterone can thicken the blood (it binds to androgen receptors that stimulate the bone marrow to form more blood cells). Thick blood is one of the factors that increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. At the same time, there is no convincing evidence that these heart diseases are associated exclusively with testosterone.
If you are afraid of such risks, then you should carefully monitor your condition during treatment (keep a diary of your health state) and ask a doctor for consultation.
Concerning the increased risk of prostate cancer, there are no specific factors that would blame the T-hormone. There are androgen receptors in the prostate, and therefore testosterone theoretically could promote its growth. Still, this side effect should be expected only by those men whose prostate is already enlarged and makes it difficult to urinate.
For them, it is necessary to initially undergo a more thorough medical examination, which will be able to say for sure whether it is worth undergoing testosterone replacement therapy or not. If a man already has prostate cancer, then testosterone will probably aggravate this situation, but there is no evidence that TRT is the cause of this type of cancer.
Conclusion
Now you know what testosterone results before and after are possible. You also have been warned of the possible risks and main side effects. Testosterone replacement therapy is indicated for men with officially diagnosed low T and consequent disorders.
It is not recommended to take the therapy for healthy men without the diagnosed low T because it can cause overbalance and possible harm to their health. Of course, to say “yes” or “no” to the therapy is only up to you, but the main thing to remember is that you should not try to get a testosterone injection without a prescription and do not start the treatment without proper consultation with an endocrinologist.
Be sure to obtain your medication in legitimate pharmacies and follow all doctor’s instructions when taking the treatment. Don’t forget to contact us any time if you’ve got any doubts, concerns, or suggestions, we are happy to advise the most suitable resolution for your particular health issue, your budget, your age, and your expectations.