Testosterone: Beneficial for Male Menopause and the Prostate
Our society is very familiar with the term menopause, women who are going through “the change of life.” However, men also experience hormonal changes as they age. The symptoms of male menopause can wreak just as much havoc, adversely affecting their relationships, careers, health and overall quality of life.
Male menopause, also referred to as andropause, is the time in a man’s life when his testosterone levels decline. The common symptoms of male menopause are fatigue, weight gain, depression, brain fog, memory loss, sleep disturbances, and low libido. Low testosterone levels are also associated with diabetes, heart failure, obesity and osteoporosis.
Testosterone Replacement Does Not Increase Risk of Prostate Cancer
While the solution for male menopause is to replenish the declining levels of testosterone, there has been concern that this could increase the risk of prostate cancer. Research, however, disproves the link between testosterone replacement therapy and prostate cancer. A 15 year study of 1,500 patients by the Institute of Urology at University College Hospital, London, found that raising testosterone levels could be beneficial to the prostate. (1)
Research reveals that with proper clinical monitoring, testosterone treatment is safe for the prostate and does not increase the risk of prostate cancer. (1, 5) Research has failed to demonstrate an association between prostate cancer and high testosterone levels. (2, 3)
The Endogenous Hormones and Prostate Cancer Collaborative Group published an analysis of 18 prospective studies on serum androgen levels and prostate cancer risk in 2008. The study’s main finding indicated that there was no association between prostate cancer and pre-diagnostic serum levels of free testosterone, total testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androstenedione, DHEA-S, Adiol-G, free estradiol, or total estradiol. In fact, older men with the highest risk of prostate cancer have the lowest serum testosterone levels. (4)
Young men typically have the highest levels of testosterone and the lowest incidence of prostate cancer. Intuition tells you that testosterone is necessary for optimal health. If you are experiencing the symptoms of male menopause, consider replenishing your testosterone levels with bioidentical testosterone.
Click here to take our men’s symptom checker quiz to find out if you have symptoms of low testosterone.
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Research
1. Is Testosterone Treatment Good for the Prostate? Study of Safety during Long‐Term Treatment
2. Are Serum Hormones Associated with the Risk of Prostate Cancer? Prospective Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study
3. High Levels of Circulating Testosterone are not Associated with Increased Prostate Cancer Risk: A Pooled Prospective Study
4. Endogenous Sex Hormones and Prostate Cancer: A Collaborative Analysis of 18 Prospective Studies
5. Incidence of Prostate Cancer in Hypogonadal Men Receiving Testosterone Therapy: Observations from 5-Year Median Followup of 3 Registries
