Male Hormone Testing
Why Men Should Get Their Hormone Levels Tested
Symptoms And Conditions Associated With Male Hormonal Imbalances
Why a Urine Test and Not Blood or Saliva?
Description of Hormones We Test For
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Why Men Should Get Their Hormone Levels Tested
Top There are a few symptoms commonly associated with male aging - abdominal fat, loss of muscle, lower sex drive, etc. But, that's just the tip of the iceberg. A great many physical complaints that men experience as they age - and take for granted as a natural fact of growing older that they can't do anything about - are the result of hormone imbalances that, while natural - yes - can nevertheless be brought under control with astonishing ease through simple awareness and appropriate action. Indeed most of the symptoms so often dismissed as "signs of aging" can be alleviated, most frequently (and easily) through supplementation and suppression.
Getting your hormone levels tested has three clear advantages:
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you and the doctor can work to prevent and treat hormone-related symptoms and conditions |
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if indicated, the doctor could start you on hormone replacement therapy and regularly monitor your progress |
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the doctor can assess for you your risk of acquiring certain hormone-related diseases |
Additionally, most hormonal imbalances can be addressed at least in part nutritionally, through the addition or exclusion of certain foods in the diet, and/or starting to take certain vitamins or other supplements on a daily basis.
Symptoms And Conditions Associated With Male Hormonal Imbalances
Because this is such an important point, we'd like to illustrate a bit further the broad scope of effects that hormonal imbalances can have on the male body. The following are 3 examples of the breadth and range of symptoms men can experience due to deficiencies and/or excesses of certain hormones.
From a cortisol imbalance:
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Fatigue |
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Weight gain (especially around the waist) |
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Reduced muscle mass |
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Skin that's thinning |
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Elevated levels of triglycerides |
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Trouble sleeping |
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Lapses in memory |
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Irritability, stress, anxiety, and depression |
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Acne |
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Headaches |
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Heart palpitations |
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Reduced sex drive |
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Hair loss on the top of the head |
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Increased hair growth on the face and body |
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Allergies |
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Chemical sensitivities |
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Low body temperature |
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Bone, joint, and muscle pain |
From progesterone and/or estradiol deficiency:
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Night sweats |
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Hot flashes |
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Headaches |
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Mental fogginess |
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Fatigue |
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Bone density loss |
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Irritability, anxiety, nervousness, apathy, and depression |
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Prostate troubles |
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Decreased sex drive |
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Reduced urinary flow |
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Increased urge to urinate |
From a DHEA and/or testosterone deficiency:
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Decreased sex drive |
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Erectile dysfunction |
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Mental fogginess |
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Fatigue |
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Feeling of being "burned out" |
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Irritability, anxiety, nervousness, aggression |
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Thin and oily skin and acne |
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Bone, joint, and muscle aches and pains |
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Bone density loss |
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Reduced muscle mass |
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Lowered stamina |
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Reduced urinary flow |
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Increased urge to urinate |
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Restricted flexibility |
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Prostate troubles |
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Heart palpitations |
As you can see, the levels and proportions of hormones in our bodies are instrumental in keeping us healthy. And you can take charge of maintaining that critical balance by simply testing your hormone levels and taking action to rectify deficiencies and excesses.
Lastly on this subject, it is believed that a man's hormone levels do play a major role in his risk of prostate cancer.
Male Hormone Testing
Here at Essential Health Solutions we use a fully-accredited medical lab for our Male Hormone Testing.
In our male hormone testing, we use a small sample of urine collected over a 24-hour-period to detect levels of the following hormones (descriptions follow at the end of this article):
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Testosterone |
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Cortisol |
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DHEA |
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Melatonin |
Why a Urine Test and Not Blood or Saliva?
The reason we test hormone levels in urine collected in small amounts throughout a 24-hour period is because your hormone levels fluctuate throughout the course of a day, and this method provides us the clearest and most stable average of hormone levels that can be obtained. This is a far superior method to salivary testing and serum testing for hormones, both of which only give a "snapshot" of levels at one particular point in time.
Further, this method of measurement also gives us an indication of how those hormones are being metabolized as well as how much of the hormones in our bodies are actually bio-available. Neither a blood nor a saliva test can tell you that.
Description of Hormones We Test For
Testosterone - Testosterone is involved in several important bodily functions: it helps regulate the body's energy levels, including both mental and physical motivation and acuity; it is the most pivotal hormone in maintaining the healthy sex drive; and it's involved in building healthy muscles, bones, and skin. Low levels can be involved in osteoporosis (or a loss of bone density), reduced muscle mass, mental fatigue and burnout, low stamina, night-sweats, resistance to insulin, erectile dysfunction, low sex drive, depression, immune dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease; high levels can be involved in anger, aggression, and various health issues.
Cortisol- This is the primary hormone involved in the stress response; it's also the hormone responsible for giving us the motivation and energy to get out of bed each day at face life's daily challenges. Produced by the adrenal gland, cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone) is a steroidal hormone involved as well in regulating blood pressure and the metabolizing of carbohydrates. High levels are indicative of increased stress and have been associated with sleep difficulties as well as disrupting metabolism of blood sugar, leading to emotional difficulties as well as chronic tiredness and weakness. Low levels can be involved in low blood pressure and weight gain. Cortisol is an exception among hormones in that its levels tend not to decline with age but to rise instead, the effect being a decreasing resistance to stress over time. Additionally, over time a chronic cortisol imbalance unaddressed could result in joint and muscle pain, chronic insomnia, and premature aging.
DHEA - Produced by the adrenal gland, DHEA (its full name is dehydroepiandrosterone) is a steroidal hormone that is converted in the bloodstream into important sex hormones, like estrogens and androgens. It is involved in energy, mental and physical stamina, memory, mental/emotional outlook on life, the functioning of the immune system, and the metabolizing of body fat. It also seems to balance out the effects that cortisol has on the body, helping us to deal with the stress we experience. Interestingly, it is the singular hormone must abundant in the bloodstream.
Melatonin - Regulating our circadian rhythms, melatonin is known as the “sleep hormone” (although it's actually the region of the brain in charge of regulating our circadian rhythms that actually determines melatonin levels, and not the other way around). Melatonin supplementation has been found to be an effective sleep aid for many.