Risks of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Blood Pressure
Testosterone can make you retain sodium and water, which may elevate BP. * Monitor your BP and discuss BP-lowering strategies with your provider
Estrogen Levels
Testosterone can increase your Estradiol levels, this is completely normal.
It is treated with oral medication – Anastrozole or DIM
Sleep Apnea
Symptoms can worsen if you have sleep apnea and are not being treated
Prostate
Testosterone can worsen existing Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) (enlarged prostate)
BPH can be treated with oral medications
Fertility
Testosterone inhibits the negative feedback loop in the brain, which signals the testes to produce sperm. Taking bioidentical testosterone can reduce sperm production.
It is possible (but not guaranteed) to maintain your sperm count with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) subcutaneous injections.
Red Blood Cells
Testosterone can increase your body’s production of RBC. This is treated with blood donations when indicated.
Hemoglobin & Hematocrit (H/H)
H/H > 18.0 / 54% can increase the risk for blood clot formation, which can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. We monitor RBCs every 3 months and will tell you when to donate blood and how many times.
