What are the early warning indicators of male hormone health risks

The currently clinically recognized core early warning indicators of male hormone health risks are serum total testosterone, free testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Pituitary and estrogen-related indicators such as luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and estradiol can also assist in diagnosing the cause of the disease. I just met a 32-year-old Internet practitioner at the men's clinic last week. He has been feeling sleepless for more than half a year. He has lost almost 10 pounds of muscle after two years of training, and a handful of hair. He always thought it was due to staying up late and working overtime. It was not until his erection condition got worse that he came to see a doctor. It was found that the total testosterone was only 10.3nmol/L, which is nearly one-third lower than the normal lower limit of 14nmol/L for adult men. It already falls into the typical category of hypogonadism.

A lot of popular science on the Internet now says that hormone levels can be judged by the frequency of morning erections and sexual desire. In fact, academic circles have always had different views on this: some grassroots clinicians believe that somatosensory symptoms are the most direct warning signal. Many patients have obvious fatigue, depression, and decreased sexual function when their testosterone levels are still at the lower limit of the normal reference value. Nowadays, the benefits of early intervention are much higher than the treatment after the indicators fall below the critical value; other scholars believe that subjective symptoms are greatly interfered with by work pressure, emotional state, and sleep quality. There are even many anxiety patients whose symptoms completely overlap with testosterone deficiency. The results of at least two serological tests must be combined to confirm the diagnosis. The diagnosis must not be made based on symptoms alone.

Speaking of this, some people will definitely ask, you can’t just go to the hospital for a blood test if you feel slightly uncomfortable, right? In fact, there are also some relatively directional body signals that can be used as a reference for preliminary investigation. There used to be a 47-year-old private company owner whose abdominal circumference increased from 85 cm to 97 cm in more than a year. His diet was the same as before, and he played golf twice a week, but he couldn't lose weight. Later, when he had a routine physical examination for his sex hormones, he found that his free testosterone level was only normal. Testosterone itself, which accounts for 58% of adult men, is responsible for regulating muscle synthesis and fat metabolism. To put it simply, it is like the supervisor in charge of "burning fat and building muscle" in the body. If it is lazy and fishes, the nutrients it eats cannot synthesize muscles, and naturally it will become fat and store it in the waist and abdomen.

It is worth reminding that there is no absolute "one-size-fits-all" standard for the interpretation of these indicators. For example, some people may occasionally have a high prolactin test because they drank alcohol the day before, stayed up late, or walked too fast before taking blood, and the reexamination will return to normal. Only if there are two consecutive abnormalities accompanied by nipple discharge and persistent headaches do you need to be alert to the possibility of pituitary disease. There are also many parents who use the testosterone report of pre-pubescent boys to ask whether they are stunted in development. In fact, the hormone levels of minors themselves will fluctuate with the developmental stages. Adult reference values ​​cannot be used directly. A comprehensive judgment must be made based on bone age and the development of secondary sexual characteristics. If you have experienced unexplained fatigue, loss of libido, inexplicable increase in abdominal circumference, and significant hair loss for two or three months in a row, don’t buy so-called “testosterone supplements” and eat them indiscriminately. Go to the men’s department or endocrinology department of a regular hospital to check the six sex hormones first. It is much more reliable than scaring yourself with information on the Internet.