What are the Most Common Hormonal Disorders in Men?

Hormones play a significant role in regulating many functions in the male body. Mainly they’re responsible for controlling important functions like reproduction, metabolism, mood, growth, and sexual health. 

For males, in particular, they help regulate their bone mass, muscle mass and strength, libido, sperm, and red blood cell production. While all these are essential functions the male body needs, some factors can cause a change in male hormone levels.

Hormone levels in males can change based on their genes, age, sleep, weight, health conditions, and medications. Some of these levels can be taken into your own hands and changed yourself, whereas others may need some intervention.

5 Symptoms of hormonal imbalance in men

Hormonal imbalance in men happens when too much or too little of certain hormones are present in their bodies. As a result, your bodies stop receiving important information sent by hormones, affecting essential body functions that help regulate your metabolism and reproduction. The typical signs of a hormonal imbalance in males are:

• Gynecomastia (enlarged male breast tissue). Even though this can occur due to other factors like lifestyle, age, or diet, it mainly happens due to a change in hormone levels. In particular, a decrease in testosterone levels or an increase in estrogen levels can cause male breast enlargement.
• Loss of libido. A male’s sex drive can decrease if they have low testosterone levels. Testosterone helps trigger blood flow to the penis, increasing the likelihood of an erection occurring, 
• Abdominal obesity. High estrogen levels can cause weight gain around the abdomen in males. This is a condition called hormonal belly. 
• Loss of muscle mass and strength. In males, testosterone is needed to help build and maintain muscle mass. Therefore if there’s a decline in testosterone levels, it could contribute to muscle atrophy (loss of muscle mass). Similarly, high amounts of cortisol can cause problems with your metabolism, inhibiting the amount of testosterone produced and contributing to weight loss.
• Mood swings. Low testosterone levels can also cause mood changes. Males suffering from hormonal imbalances can often feel anxious, irritable, and depressed. 

What are the main causes of hormone imbalance in men?

The main hormones causing problems for men are growth hormone, testosterone, and thyroid hormone. Also, injury, trauma, infections, chemotherapy, and metabolic disorders like hemochromatosis can cause contribute to the acceleration of the hormonal decline in men.

Growth hormone deficiency

This condition occurs when your pituitary gland does not produce enough growth hormone for your body. Growth hormone deficiency can occur due to genetics, tumor, surgery, or radiation treatments. 

How to treat growth hormone deficiency 

To get rid of the debilitating symptoms of growth hormone deficiency, you should get a legal HGH therapy for men under the close supervision of your doctor to ensure it is safe and well-tolerated. HGH treatment has a range of benefits, such as:

• Increased muscle mass
• Better sleep
• Increased bone density
• Enhanced weight loss
• Lowered risk of cardiovascular disease
• Quicker healing of fractures

HGH therapy is highly effective, and you can begin to start noticing results in the first two months of treatment. This is because HGH injections help your body’s cells to repair fast and quickly. In the first two months, you’ll notice your skin and muscle toning improving and looking better.

Low testosterone levels

Males can often be subject to a condition called hypogonadism, where their bodies don’t produce enough or any testosterone at all. Their levels are classed as low when it’s under 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). This can also be caused by injury, trauma, or cancer treatments.

How to treat low testosterone

Testosterone therapy comes in the form of patches, gels, and injections. There are a lot of benefits to it, such as increasing your muscle mass and bone strength, enhancing your sex drive, bettering your mood, and much more. 

Most people who undergo testosterone therapy start to notice changes in the first 4-6 weeks of treatment. The safest and most effective form of testosterone therapy is through injections and is best done under the close supervision of a doctor. 

Hypothyroidism 

This is a condition where your thyroid is underactive or does not produce a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones. As a result, the body’s function slows down, and so does the metabolism. This can be caused by an autoimmune disease, thyroid surgery, radiation therapy, and certain medications. 

How to treat hypothyroidism 

Thyroid hormone therapy often involves taking a pill to increase your thyroid levels. Usually, it takes a few days to notice changes and feel better from the medicine. The main benefits of this therapy are increased energy levels, more stable weight, better sleep, mood boost, and more. 

Conclusion 

Overall, the three main hormonal imbalances that are the most common in males are growth hormone deficiency, low testosterone levels, and hypothyroidism. These imbalances can be treated safely and effectively under close medical supervision from your doctor.