Feeling your best

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms that might be the result of a low testosterone level, consult your doctor. He or she can evaluate possible causes for the way you feel and explain treatment options.

You can't boost your natural testosterone production, but these steps might help:

• Be honest with your doctor. Work with your doctor to identify and treat any health issues that might be causing or contributing to your signs and symptoms — from medication side effects to erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices. Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Healthy lifestyle choices will help you maintain your strength, energy and lean muscle mass. Regular physical activity can even improve your mood and promote better sleep.
• Seek help if you feel down. Men don't always experience depression as feelings of sadness. You may be unusually tired, anxious or irritable — even angry — and you may have trouble keeping up with your responsibilities at work and home. Other common symptoms in men include difficulty sleeping and thoughts of suicide. Talk with your doctor if you think you might be depressed. Many effective treatments are available.
• Be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supplements haven't been proved safe and effective for aging-related low testosterone. Some supplements might even be dangerous. Long-term use of DHEA, for example, has no proven benefits and might increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Treating aging-related low testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy is controversial.

For some men, testosterone therapy relieves bothersome signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. For others, the benefits aren't clear and there are possible risks.

Among the risks, testosterone therapy contributes to sleep apnea, stimulates noncancerous growth of the prostate and stimulates growth of existing prostate cancer. Testosterone therapy may also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke and contributes to the formation of blood clots in the veins.

If you wonder whether testosterone replacement might be right for you, work with your doctor to determine why your testosterone level is low and whether it is causing your symptoms. Weigh the pros and cons of treatment together with your doctor.