WHAT IS TRT?

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been practiced on women for years due mainly to their menopausal symptoms. We've found significant health benefits for women by replacing their lost hormones in everything from cardiac health, to bone loss, to mood disorders, as well as the menopausal symptoms as noted. Recently we've come to realize that men also go through a sort of "menopause” but it is more gradual and steady than the sudden loss of hormone production that women experience. Replacing men's hormones through a variety of means has also produced health dividends like in women.

Not only are you up against low T as you age but often you undergo an increase in estrogen as well. Increased estrogen can have its own host of negative effects on our health. It often leads to depression (1). Elevated estrogen also seems to play a role in increasing your heart’s need of oxygen leading to increased chance of a heart attack (2). It also increases fluid retention, which then causes a rounder, puffier look that no man wants.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is becoming more and more popular amongst physicians because of its wide range of benefits.

Evidence indicates that TRT is both safe and effective. It has been shown to lead to a reduction in dying from all causes and a reduction in cardiovascular risk (3). TRT can provide all around symptom relief and improve your quality of life.

TRT is achieved by applying a gel to your body daily or injecting testosterone into the muscle twice weekly. Injections are the preferred route and when done properly they are simple, easy, and painless. TRT will increase and maintain your testosterone levels in the upper end of normal.

TRT is then usually a lifetime endeavor as we've proved that your body will not produce enough testosterone for your health needs. But it's important to note TRT is not addictive.

Men go on and off therapy without any type of withdrawal symptoms. They will just gradually feel all the low-T symptoms they had before. The medical evidence though for TRT is very compelling and most men will stay on it for life. As this is a new area of medicine many medical advancements are being made and TRT regimens will continue to improve.

 1. Increased estrogen level can be associated with depression in males. Stanikova D1, Luck T2, Bae YJ3, Thiery J4, Ceglarek U4, Engel C5, Enzenbach C5, Wirkner K6, Stanik J7, Kratzsch J3, Riedel-Heller SG2.

 2. Serum estrogen levels in men with acute myocardial infarction. Klaiber EL, Broverman DM, Haffajee CI, Hochman JS, Sacks GM, Dalen JE.

 3. An update on the role of testosterone replacement therapy in the management of hypogonadism. Geoffrey Hackett