Educating Women on Low Testosterone in Men
We often see ads and commercials regarding low testosterone targeted to men, but I think it would be just as beneficial to target the women on this topic and better educate them as well. The reason for that is men frequently will not seek out help or medical care unless their wives or girlfriends encourage them.
Now women sometimes act like they don’t care if their husband of boyfriend has low libido or erectile dysfunction. I don’t buy it. Now I see a skewed population that leads to me to say that. If patients know you prescribe hormones and have an interest in low testosterone they seek you out. So as physicians we “don’t preach to the choir”, rather we each tend to attract our own choirs. So I tend to see men and women who desire an active lifestyle and part of that is an active sex life.
When I was with Cenegenics it was not uncommon for husband and wife to come in together for an evaluation that went well beyond hormones. And, quite honestly seeing them as couples was very effective and beneficial. In part, she hears what I am telling him and he hears what I am telling her. And, that helps them to remember our discussions once they leave the office.
Typically for these couples it was the second marriage for both of them with the man being seven to ten years older than his wife. Most women were 55 or so and the men 62-65 and at the age where men will typically see definite signs of low testosterone including low libido and erectile dysfunction. Here’s what is interesting though. The low libido and erectile dysfunction typically was a bigger concern of the wife than it was for the husband. So that’s why I don’t buy that women don’t care about their man’s libido. Maybe not now, but someday many women do care.
So I say there are two types of women. Those care who are about their husband’s low libido, and those who pretend not to care but really do care. I guess there is that third type – those women who truly don’t care. Those women don’t make it to my office. If you are that third type of woman then you don’t need to read any further, but I suspect you never started to read this article to begin with.
For Women Who Care About Their Man’s Low Testosterone
So if you are one of those more caring women what should you look for in your husband or boyfriend that might suggest he is running low on testosterone or suffering from low T. Well, there are sexual symptoms and more subtle non-sexual symptoms of low T. You need to be in tuned to both.
Prevailing thought says these symptoms of low testosterone are normal symptoms of aging. But more and more we are recognizing that these are symptoms of unhealthy aging.
The sexual symptoms are easy and obvious. Sex drive is down. Erectile function is poor with men either being unable to get an erection at all or unable to maintain one. Men usually will not have morning erections. But, men may also experience decreased genital sensitivity, and may be either unable to climax or taking “forever” to do so.
One word of caution for women regarding low sex drive in their man. Low libido might indicate a relationship problem. So you need to be in tuned to that possibility.
Now for the more subtle and more non-specific signs and symptoms of low testosterone. Most of these overlap with depression and mood disorders. Here are the non-sexual symptoms of low testosterone.
- Fatigue including inability to get through the day without napping (assuming they never napped before).
- Lack of focus, attention, and concentration.
- Indecisiveness and loss of self-confidence.
- Mood swings and irritability and more easily frustrated by minor events.
- Weight gain especially belly fat despite no change in diet or activity level.
- Loss of height and muscle mass.
- Declining memory
- Not in the present – off his own world.
- General decline in well-being – says “I don’t feel like myself”.
Now many of these signs and symptoms can certainly have other causes, but the more of them that are present the more likely your man has low testosterone.
One last piece of advice for the women. Remember you are to be faithful and take care of the little things in life. If you do that, big things are sure to come your way. If you know what I mean. That’s meant to be humorous.
