Testosterone has been used for years to treat men with abnormally low testosterone levels.
In fact, there's even a name for this condition.
It is called male hypogonadism.
However, these days healthy, older men are taking testosterone in its various forms as a way of coping with waning testosterone levels to keep their sex drive going and as a life extension drug.
In fact, last year, pharmacies filled 2.
4 million prescriptions for testosterone or about twice as many prescriptions as were filled in 2000.
The long-term effects While testosterone may be a good way for aging men to extend or revive libido (sex drive), there has been no long-term study of its benefits vs.
possible risks, which could include infertility and prostate problems.
Thecontroversy that has emerged over testosterone therapy is whether gradually declining testosteronelevels are natural - as a result of theaging process - or a medical condition.
The aging process What is known is that themale body normally begins to produce less testosterone beginning about age 40.
Testosterone is the main male hormone responsible for maintaining muscle mass and strength, fat distribution, bone mass, sperm production, sex drive, and potency.
This means that as it declines, so does muscle mass and strength, energy, cognitive function sex drive and potency.
In other words, thepresence or absence oftestosterone is a major factor in aging.
Thegood news is that for most men, testosterone will decline but will still remain within thenormal range throughout therest of their lives, causing no problems.
The medical problem However,about 20% of men age 60 an older, will have testosterone levels below thenormal range - or testosterone deficiency.
If you feel you fall into this 20%, you should definitely talk to your doctor about your signs and symptoms.
Given what testosterone does for men, it is only natural to think thattestosterone therapy would help in life extension.
And this may well be However, you might want to wait until more is known about the long-term risks of testosterone therapy before asking your doctor for a prescription.