Manifestations of Male Hormone Health

The core standard for judging whether male hormones (the androgen group with testosterone as the core) is healthy has never been the "thick beard, muscular body, and body hair" as spread on the Internet, but the long-term stability of the four dimensions of energy, emotion, reproductive function, and metabolic level, without abnormal and large fluctuations.

Don’t believe it. I met a 28-year-old fitness instructor during a follow-up consultation in the nutrition department. His body fat rate was 12%, his arm circumference was almost 40, and he had to shave his beard every day. He always felt that his testosterone level must be full. As a result, during that period, he had insomnia for three consecutive months, lost a ridiculous amount of training weight, and was always unable to get excited when he was intimate with his partner. When he had a blood test, his total testosterone was only 300ng/dl, which was dozens lower than the normal lower limit for adult men. He himself was stunned when he got the report.

In the early years, traditional endocrinology did regard the degree of development of secondary sex characteristics as an important reference for judging androgen levels. However, in recent years, the consensus of both clinical endocrinology and functional medicine has been revising this standard - individual androgen receptor sensitivity differences can vary by 3-5 times. To put it bluntly, some people are born with "good signal reception" of androgens. Even if their testosterone levels are at the low end of the normal range, they can still grow thick body hair and beards. Some people are born with insensitive receptors. Even if their testosterone levels are full, they will still have light beards and sparse body hair. It cannot be generalized at all.

Talking about the specific health performance, the first thing to look at is the stability of energy - it does not mean that you can stay up for three days and three nights without sleeping. It means that you normally work from 9 to 5 and occasionally work overtime until 90 o'clock. After get off work, you can still have enough energy to walk around the community twice, or play with the children for half an hour with blocks. You will not collapse on the sofa as soon as you enter the house, without even having the strength to raise your hand to turn on the TV. This kind of continuous and gentle energy reserve is much more reliable than the "roller coaster energy" that occasionally stays up late and then has to sleep for twenty hours to catch up on sleep. Oh, by the way, don’t believe what is said on the internet, “If you don’t practice for a day and you feel uncomfortable all over, you have high testosterone.” There are really people who are addicted to exercise. Their testosterone has dropped to the lower limit and they still force themselves to run to the gym. That is a psychological problem and has nothing to do with hormones.

Many people like to regard "morning erection frequency" as the gold standard. The popular saying in fitness circles that "morning erections every day is normal" has misled many people. In fact, the clinical consensus of the Department of Urology is that if a healthy adult male has morning erections 3-4 times a week and can have a normal erection when sexually stimulated to complete sexual life, it fully meets the health standards. If your morning erections are so hard that they hurt every day, or even occur with any stimulation regardless of the occasion, it may be due to a sex hormone disorder or a problem with the cavernous blood vessels. Don't take it as a good thing and enjoy it secretly. I once met a 32-year-old programmer who always felt that his lack of morning erections was due to low testosterone. He secretly bought a testicle-stimulating supplement from an internet celebrity and took it for three months. In the end, he developed seborrheic dermatitis. His blood test showed that his testosterone was even lower than before. It was a complete fool's errand.

Another sign that many people don’t notice is weight stability. You will eat normally and maintain your previous exercise frequency. You will not gain two pounds after drinking a cup of milk tea, nor will you eat big fish and meat all the time without gaining weight. Your body fat rate will be maintained within a reasonable range, especially your waist and abdomen will not inexplicably grow a swimming ring that cannot be lost. —The first sign of testosterone decline for many men in their thirties and forties is that their waist circumference suddenly increases by 2-3 centimeters. They are eating the same as before and running for a month without losing weight. If they check their hormones at this time, it is likely that their testosterone has dropped to the low end of the normal range.

The last thing is emotional stability, which is ignored by most people. It doesn’t mean that I won’t be angry or sad, but I won’t be irritable for no reason. I won’t get angry over trivial things. I won’t lose energy for a week or two in a row, and I won’t be interested in playing ball, playing games, or hanging out with friends that I liked before. Many people always feel that they are "stressed emo" when they reach middle age, but there is no problem when they go to check their psychology. Finally, when they check their hormones, they find that it is a decrease in emotional regulation ability caused by low androgen. After replenishing to normal levels, the state will return immediately.

Oh, by the way, let me dispel the rumor. The saying on the Internet that "androgenetic alopecia is caused by excessive androgen" is completely nonsense. The core of androgenetic alopecia is that hair follicles caused by genes are sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (a metabolite of testosterone). It has nothing to do with your own testosterone level. I have seen too many young men with androgenic alopecia whose testosterone levels are lower than the normal standard. I have also seen fitness trainers who are full of testosterone and have extremely thick hair throughout their lives. Don't worry about your own hair.

In fact, after all is said and done, you really don’t need to answer the dozens of standards listed on the Internet one by one. After all, people’s physiques are not even the same. If you really suspect that you have hormonal problems, go to a regular hospital to draw venous blood and check for six items of sex hormones. It only costs less than 100 yuan. It is much more accurate than counting your beard and morning erections in front of the mirror at home.

After all, there is never a unified template when it comes to health, and the one that suits you is the best.