How Do You Tell If You Have Andropause and Need Testosterone Treatment?

Symptoms commonly experienced by men would include

• Mood disturbance – increase agitation, depressed mood
• Fatigue
• Lack of concentration
• Reduced sex drive or libido or loss of vigour
• Difficulty attaining an erection
• Weight gain
• Hair loss
• Hot flushes
• Excessive sweating
• Muscle and joint pains

You shouldn’t have to live with these symptoms and it SHOULD NOT be accepted as the norm of aging in Men. Come on Men, Stop suffering in silence and get yourself tested for low testosterone if you feel you have some of the above symptoms.

Testing for low testosterone is simple.

Key things to note about testosterone testing

• It is a blood test
• Must be done ideally between 9am to 11am when testosterone is at its peak
• Done together with another blood test called SHBG
  • SHBG is a protein that binds testosterone. If its levels are high then there is lesser free testosterone left behind resulting in testosterone deficiency.

If your total testosterone level s are < 8nmol/L, then treatment with testosterone replacement is initiated. Sometimes cases with borderline levels of testosterone between 8nmol/L -12nmol/L, can also be given a trial of testosterone treatment. Well, some men simply function at a slightly higher baseline level of testosterone.

Is testosterone treatment available in Singapore?

Testosterone treatment in Singapore comes in many forms. There are tablets, gels that are applied to the skin and injectables given as a deep intramuscular injection.

Testosterone treatment in the form of: TABLETS

• These tablets have to be taken daily. Due to the availability now of better preparations of testosterone, the tablets are no longer the preferred choice for testosterone treatment.

Testosterone treatment in the form of: GELS

• A commonly used brand is Androgel. These have to be applied to the skin daily. The gels can only be rubbed on certain areas of the skin.

Testosterone treatment in the form of: INJECTABLES

• These injections are given once every 12 weeks or once every 3 months. A commonly used brand is Nebido.

Sometimes in conjunction with replacing testosterone, your doctors might use a drug called Arimidex. Arimidex is an aromatase inhibitor that stops the conversion of testosterone to estrogen(predominant female hormone). With the use of Arimidex, testosterone is not broken down hence its levels are increased. These medications can be used concurrently with direct testosterone hormone replacement.

If you are considering Testosterone Treatment in Singapore, first consult your doctor to ensure that the testosterone deficiency is not related to problems of the

1. Pituitary/hypothalamus
   1. the Master glands of the brain that controls several hormone levels in our body
2. Testicles
   1. Testicular tumours
   2. Cryptochordism – undescended testes
   3. Testicular infection
   4. Kleinfelters Syndrome

As these above medical problems are treated very differently hence making it pivotal to identify the cause of the testosterone deficiency.

Consultation for issues concerning testosterone deficiency and testosterone treatment can be done at any one of our ‘Dr Tan And Partners’ branches in Singapore.

Give us a ring or drop us an e-mail if you require any clarifications or appointments for issues concerning testosterone treatment in Singapore.