Many adults seek medications like the Testosterone Replacement Therapy or the TRT, and, in fact, there has been an upward surge of prescriptions for testosterone since 1999. This is in part due to the affordable rates offered by more and more clinics that conduct TRT for their patients.
Due to the continuous rise of people undergoing TRT, they must know what the therapy is all about. Being ignorant about what testosterone is, why it is valuable for many individuals, and why people undergo TRT might produce misconceptions that TRT patients expect and not receive. The basics of what testosterone is would be essential to give people some knowledge on the importance of the hormone.
The hormone testosterone is produced by the gonads, men’s testes and women’s ovaries, and by both sexes’ adrenal glands, which stimulates the growth of male features and characteristics including hair, muscles, and a deep voice.
Testosterone, however, decreases as people age, resulting in a drop in libido, erectile dysfunction, moodiness, hair loss, loss of muscle tone, and an increased risk in depression. Since testosterone decreases, there came the need to have it replaced, and it became possible in 1937 when it became a pharmaceutical drug in pellet-form.
In the 1950s, two longer-lasting esters were introduced, which were the testosterone enanthate and testosterone cypionate. The 1970s led to the emergence of testosterone undecanoate for oral use in Europe. China’s intramuscular testosterone undecanoate was introduced to Europe and the United States in the mid-2000s and 2014, respectively.
People take TRT to increase their sex drive, increase their muscles and reduce their fat, and improve their mood. Men with decreased libido would benefit from TRT as well as those who are experiencing erectile dysfunction. Some men seem to have difficulty achieving anything through their workouts. Such an event typically occurs because they have low testosterone levels. People undergoing TRT had a 10% to 15% muscle increase even in as little as two or three months. Low testosterone levels reduce both self-confidence and motivation and having TRT can result in having improved moods.
Men suffering from having low testosterone aren’t the only ones who can benefit from TRT since even menopausal women can improve their libido through it. Women may not produce as much testosterone as men, but they need it as well. Women with low testosterone suffer the same way men do, and those already in menopause would improve their sexual function. Their desire, arousal, and orgasmic response tend to profit from TRT.
Fortunately, people can now take testosterone in various forms. The different delivery methods include oral, buccal, intranasal, transdermal or patches, topical or gels, intramuscular or injection, and subcutaneous or implant administration.
The most effective delivery method is through injections which typically requires weekly applications and ancillary medications. Some medications allow the testes to produce testosterone naturally while on TRT.
Those who would want to undergo TRT should understand that it is a long-term therapy and would not only take a few days. TRT takes a long time to assure maximum efficiency. Men with abdominal obesity, erectile dysfunction, and testosterone deficiency experienced positive effects by taking TRT for three months.
Some people take TRT only for either 30 days or less, which won’t likely result in the same results as those who have undergone TRT for longer times. They won’t experience the excellent progressive weight loss present in those who have undergone five years of long-term TRT.
Testosterone replacement therapy has various benefits that patients can reap as long as they understand what TRT is and how long they should undergo the treatment. Relying on misconceptions and rumors on what TRT is can prove to be disappointing to the patients who expected something else to occur.
It is essential to know more on what testosterone and TRT are, and one can know more by checking the infographic here.
