Saliva Testing at Access Medical Laboratories

MALE HORMONE SALIVA TESTING

Comprehensive Male Panel: ESTRADIOL TESTOSTERONE DHEA CORTISOL PROGESTERONE MELATONIN DHT ANDROSTENEDIONE   Base Male Panel: ESTRADIOL PROGESTERONE TESTOSTERONE DHEA DHT

At Access Medical Labs our Male Hormone saliva tests help indicate if your hormonal levels are at its prime. In men a decrease of hormonal levels such as testosterone begin to occur around the age of 35 meaning they have entered their first stages of Andropause, the male equivalent of female Menopause. There are many other factors which can also affect your hormonal levels such as poor diet and exercise. Knowing your hormone levels is key in knowing if Hormone Replacement Therapy is right for you.

MALE HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (Know Your Levels)

For years, doctors have focused on woman's needs and studied the various ways they can develop female-specific, and not male hormone replacement therapy. But now male hormone replacement therapy is taking a front seat ­ and the news is looking positive for men.

Male hormone replacement therapy, also known as TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) is a man's answer to male menopause. Didn't think men suffered from menopause? Think again - it's just under the name andropause! Andropause is a change in the male hormone balance.

We're All the Same

Just like women, men's bodies were getting hit by osteoporosis, mood swings, hot flashes at night, loss of libido, and decreased energy and strength - sure signs that male hormone replacement therapy was not only interesting, but necessary.

Many men and women make the mistake of thinking the symptoms they¹re having - joint pain, loss of energy, etc., are just normal aging conditions. But male hormone replacement therapy can bring a halt to those symptoms and restore an older person's life to how it used to be.

Before undergoing male hormone replacement therapy, your doctor will most likely want you to undergo repeated tests to see what your normal levels of testosterone are. After testing, the male hormone replacement therapy will usually begin right away - in the form of pills, pellets, implants, gel, or injections.

Although many men do not want to seek out professional help for their symptoms, those who have received male hormone replacement therapy tout its benefits and are glad they have an answer to why their bodies were deteriorating so quickly - sometimes at the age of fifty. Male hormone replacement therapy can help a man with 70-year old levels of testosterone return to levels that are within normal range for his true age.

As more men discover what male hormone replacement therapy can do for them researchers are working hard to make advancements in the field and provide maximum benefits with minimal side effects. It's important when you undergo male hormone replacement therapy that you allow your doctor to continually test your testosterone levels so that you stay within normal limits.

What to expect from Hormone Replacement Therapy

Let's use an example of replacing testosterone in a 47 year old man: This man would have a total testosterone level approximately 300 to 400 ng/dl. He will be experiencing many of the symptoms mentioned. We would, based on his personality type, take his testosterone level to 700 to 1000ng/dl ­ the level it was at about age 25 to 30. What will happen?

• In the first two months he will notice an increase in mental quickness and a general improved enthusiasm for daily life.
• After about three to four months he will notice more energy and an increase in sex drive demonstrated by night dreams, spontaneous erections and an overall increased interest in sex.

After his hormones are at a healthy level, there will be a greater interest in being more active. If the man is in fact more active and depending on the nature of that activity, he can expect a further improvement in energy, endurance, muscle tone and reduced fat. Remember the energy, enthusiasm for life and sex drive at age 25 - 30? That is what you can expect if you get your hormones to a healthy level.

RESOURCES:

1. Guerriero G. Vertebrate sex steroid receptors: evolution, ligands, and neurodistribution. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 Apr;1163:154-68. Review. PMID: 19456336

2. Thakur MK, Paramanik V. Role of steroid hormone coregulators in health and disease. Horm Res. 2009;71(4):194-200. Epub 2009 Mar 4. Review. PMID: 19258710