What are the early warning indicators of male hormone health risks?

Currently, the clinically recognized early warning sign of the highest health risk of male hormones (the core is testosterone) is that the total serum testosterone level is lower than 12nmol/L, and accompanied by the superposition of the three symptoms of unexplained fatigue, loss of sexual desire, and irritability lasting for more than one month, it can basically be determined that the testosterone level is abnormal.

Not long ago, I met a 38-year-old Internet programmer in a clinic. He worked hard for 3 months to get the project online. During that time, he slept 10 hours a day and still felt heavy all over. He couldn't get excited about the intimate life with his lover, and he often got angry with his subordinates over trivial things. At first, I thought he was tired, so I took the time to do a blood test. The total testosterone was only 9.7nmol/L, which was already in the critical range of hypogonadism. If it continued, he would have to supplement external hormones.

When it comes to testing indicators, many institutions now speculate on free testosterone, saying that this is the active androgen that can really play a role. In fact, the academic community has not yet reached a unified consensus on this. One group believes that free testosterone lower than 225pmol/L is the real risk signal of low testosterone, which is much more accurate than total testosterone.； The other group believes that there is no need for ordinary people to check for physical examination. After all, the detection method of free testosterone is not stable, and the reference intervals of different institutions can be twice as different. On the contrary, it is easy to cause unnecessary anxiety to people. Routine screening testing of total testosterone is enough.

Many middle-aged men will blame androgen for hair loss and weight gain. In fact, there is no need to overturn everyone with one stroke. Only central obesity, where the belly bulges first, should be paid special attention to. Men with a waist-to-hip ratio of more than 0.9 have a probability of declining testosterone levels. The waist circumference is 3 times that of normal people - the aromatase in fat is like a secretly destructive "converter", secretly converting the testosterone in the body into estrogen, which means that the male hormone in your body is cut off before it can take effect, and problems will naturally occur.

Another hidden indicator that is easily overlooked is sleep quality. If you sleep less than 1 hour in deep sleep for more than 3 consecutive months, or have severe sleep apnea, and snore at night so much that you wake yourself up, your testosterone level will be 20%-30% lower than that of a person who sleeps normally. There used to be a 42-year-old building materials business owner who weighed almost 200 pounds. He even felt sleepy while driving during the day. His testosterone was found to be only 8nmol/L. He was not prescribed supplements. He was asked to wear a sleep apnea machine to correct his snoring problem. He was asked to wear a sleep apnea machine to correct his snoring problem. After three months, he was reexamined. His testosterone had risen to 11.5nmol/L, and all symptoms had disappeared.

Some people may ask, online people say that the disappearance of morning erections means low testosterone. Is this true? This statement is actually very controversial. Currently, more studies believe that morning erections are more related to the quality of sleep at night and the excitation of parasympathetic nerves. A considerable number of men with completely normal testosterone levels will temporarily lose morning erections when they stay up for several late nights and are under too much pressure. There is no need to scare yourself. Unless you have no morning erections for several months in a row and are accompanied by a decrease in sexual desire, it is not too late to go for a check-up.

By the way, I would like to remind you that when testing testosterone, you must choose between 8 and 10 a.m. on an empty stomach. This thing follows the circadian rhythm. The value measured in the afternoon can be 30% lower than that in the morning. It is easy to misjudge it as low testosterone, and the trip is in vain. To put it bluntly, the decline of male hormones is not a cliff-like drop. It is more like the battery of an old mobile phone, which is slowly worn out. Pay more attention to the small changes in the body and don't always bear it. If you really feel something is wrong, go to a regular hospital to check the six hormones. It doesn't cost much. It is much more reliable than blindly checking the symptoms on the Internet.