While almost a quarter of American males are reportedly suffering from low testosterone levels, only about 5.6% experience symptoms of the condition known in medical terms as Androgen Deficiency. In a study by Dr. Andre Araujo and his colleagues from the New England Research Institutes, it was found that not all men with low testosterone exhibit or experience any symptoms. There are fewer men with symptomatic androgen deficiency than there are men with low testosterone levels.
As the most important sex hormone produced in the male body, testosterone or androgen is the hormone that is primarily responsible for producing and maintaining the typical adult male attributes. At puberty, testosterone stimulates the physical changes that characterize the adult male, such as enlargement of the penis and testes, growth of facial and pubic hair, deepening of the voice, an increase in muscle mass and strength, and growth in height. Throughout adult life, testosterone helps maintain sex drive, the production of sperm cells, male hair patterns, muscle mass, and bone mass.
A man’s testosterone levels decline naturally with age. However, there is no precipitous drop in a man’s sex hormones as there are for women at the time of menopause.
Symptoms of androgen deficiency include: