‘Male Menopause’ Not as Simple as ‘Low T’

“Low T,” or testosterone, may not cause all of the symptoms of so-called male menopause, a new study suggests. In fact, low levels of the female hormone estrogen may play a role as well, the study finds. And there was no clear cutoff for “low” testosterone. The study included 400 healthy young and middle-aged men. They were given a drug to suppress natural production of both testosterone and estrogen. Then they were given either testosterone gel (in different doses) or a placebo (fake) gel to apply for 16 weeks. In men, some testosterone is converted to an estrogen called estradiol. Half of the men also were given a medicine that blocked this from happening. After 16 weeks, the loss of either hormone was linked with reduced sexual function. Men with lower levels of testosterone had more loss of muscle mass and strength. Low estradiol was linked with increases in body fat.