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Low Testosterone Treatments and Male Infertility

Low testosterone treatment & male infertility facts

  • Low-T (testosterone) can affect sperm production and can cause men to experience symptoms that can include among others, diminished interest in sex.
  • While low testosterone treatments can reverse such symptoms and increase sperm production, they can cause even greater problems to male fertility – including permanent infertility.
  • Not all men taking testosterone experience related infertility, but many do.
  • We can help men interested in protecting their fertility with options to improve their testosterone levels, such as medications to increase testosterone that don’t harm fertility.

 

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Understanding low-T treatments

Think about your fertility before considering low testosterone treatments, also called low-T treatments.

You have likely seen advertisements for low-T treatments, a term that refers to a low testosterone level. These ads may promise an increase in sex drive, vigor and muscles.

Low testosterone is a condition that can cause a number of symptoms in men. Before starting low testosterone treatments, the physicians at Dallas IVF want you to know that these regimens can have a negative impact on male fertility.

Low testosterone treatments are designed to treat a number of symptoms

Testosterone is an important hormone for men and women that is produced in the testicles as well as the ovaries and adrenal glands. When a man has a low testosterone level, it can result in a number of problems.

  • Depression.
  • Lack of energy.
  • Low sex drive.
  • Reduced muscle strength.
  • Weak erections.

Testosterone levels gradually decrease with age, but not all men will experience these symptoms. Men often start testosterone therapy to deal with such symptoms. But their low testosterone may be caused by other factors such as high levels of prolactin or sleep apnea.

Low testosterone does not cause infertility, as some people mistakenly think. Testosterone levels in the testicles, where it helps with sperm production, are much higher than the testosterone levels in the blood. Many applications of testosterone therapy are based on the level in the blood, which is not a good indicator of the fertility effects of testosterone.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should talk to a fertility specialist about getting your testosterone level measured.

If you have low testosterone, you may want to ask a Dallas IVF physician about options for low testosterone that will not disrupt fertility.

Treatments to raise testosterone can negatively impact male fertility

Some forms of low testosterone treatments will restore your testosterone to a normal level, but they act as a form of male birth control by reducing or halting sperm production, which can make it more difficult for you to get your partner pregnant.

This happens because high levels of testosterone can also cause follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) production to cease, resulting in no production of sperm present in the ejaculate, known as azoospermia. In addition, highly elevated testosterone levels can cause the pituitary to stop producing luteinizing hormones (LH), causing the man to cease making testosterone naturally.

Low T supplements and steroids that are popular in the body building community can actually cause azoospermia and male infertility in some cases. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine suggests that infertility is more likely to occur in men who use testosterone injections and pellets rather than testosterone gels.

Once a man stops testosterone therapy, he should begin making sperm again within a few months. But this isn’t the case with everyone. Long-term use of testosterone replacement can even cause permanent sterility.

As a result, if you want to have children, it’s important to speak with a fertility expert like the ones at our fertility center before beginning low-T treatments.

If you aren’t finished having children yet, there are options available. For example, you can freeze your sperm before beginning treatment for low-T. You can also take a medication like clomiphene citrate, or Clomid to increase testosterone production without lowering your sperm count.

If you would like to learn more about male fertility treatments at Dallas IVF, please contact us today to schedule an appointment. We are committed to providing state-of-the-art fertility care.