Great Sex, Naturally (39 page)

You may also notice that your partner seems fatigued and irritable more often than he used to. He may have less overall vitality and energy, lack motivation and enthusiasm, laugh less frequently, seem to enjoy life less, or describe himself as feeling “old.” These mood changes can be pervasive, last for extended periods of time, and affect all of your conversations and experiences with him.

If your partner’s low testosterone leads to symptoms of ED, he may need to concentrate to maintain an erection, and sex may seem to him like it’s all “work”—or it may not work at all. If he’s able to have an orgasm, it may be diminished in intensity. Some men with unusually low levels of testosterone also have low sperm counts or decreased quantities of semen.

Men with low testosterone often experience loss of muscle and strength. Your partner may notice that his muscles don’t respond to exercise the way they once did, even though he works out as much as before, or that it takes longer for his body to recover after workouts. In addition, even if he hasn’t changed his eating habits, he may accumulate extra body fat, especially around the waist, that can’t be shed regardless of how conscientiously he exercises.

There’s no single symptom that definitively and necessarily means your partner has low testosterone; symptoms can vary widely from one man to another. Some men with low testosterone have only one symptom, while others have many. Some may not have the primary symptom, low sex drive, but still have low testosterone. If your partner seems to have one or more symptoms, it’s important to remember that they can all have causes unrelated to testosterone levels, such as normal aging, other health conditions, stress, depression, or side effects of prescription drugs. For instance, if a man is on the type of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (for example, Prozac), the side effects can include lowered sex drive and difficulty reaching orgasm.

Low testosterone is treatable and potentially reversible, but according to the FDA only about 5 percent of American men with the condition receive treatment. Despite its prevalence, the conventional medical establishment has been slow to offer clear guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Millions of men with the symptoms don’t have dependable sources of information, and many physicians, uncertain about how to accurately determine if men have low testosterone, may dismiss or misdiagnose their complaints. In addition, some physicians don’t feel comfortable treating a decline in testosterone because it’s seen as a normal part of aging. This is odd, because we take elaborate steps to compensate for normal aspects of aging in many other ways—for instance, with our vision, teeth, hearing, hearts, and joints—and do whatever we can to improve the quality of our lives in all these areas. Yet if low testosterone significantly reduces a person’s quality of life, many doctors seem unconcerned.

Fortunately, times are changing. There’s growing awareness of the importance of low testosterone, and more willingness on the part of some doctors to diagnose and treat it when appropriate.

Late Sex, Naturally: Pleasure and Older Couples

Studies show that the primary reasons older couples stop being sexually active are poor health and a tendency to simply lose interest in sex. Low testosterone and reduced sex drive may often be a factor. Who are “older” couples? By some definitions you qualify if you’re over 60, but as the saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel. If you consistently follow the lifestyle recommendations earlier in this book, you could vastly increase your likelihood of being sexually active in your 60s; your overall health can be the single most important factor in your ability to keep the
sex
in sexagenarian.

If you’re 70 or older, the pleasures and health benefits of sex can still be yours. Research shows that about seven out of ten couples enjoy sex in their 70s, and some well into their 80s. Again, being especially vigilant about your health can make all the difference; the higher your age, the more your cumulative lifestyle choices may determine your potential to enjoy being sexually active. In your golden years, great health is invaluable, and wise choices can yield particularly rich rewards for your ability to savor the treasure of pleasure.

The Potential Benefits of Treating Low Testosterone for Both Your Partner and Yourself

For many men, increasing testosterone levels and alleviating symptoms of low testosterone completely changes their lives. If your partner has the condition, the right solution can transform
your
life as well. Just as the symptoms of low testosterone can permeate every aspect of your relationship, the benefits of treatment can affect each moment, activity, and conversation you share. Not every man shows dramatic improvements, and not every symptom is resolved—libido depends on many biological and psychological factors in addition to testosterone—but for many men it can restore the ability to have not only a satisfying sex life but a more fulfilling life in general. Let’s look at the benefits your partner may experience from treatment if he has low testosterone:

—
Increased sex drive and sexual function.
When a man’s testosterone level is restored to normal, he often experiences a rebirth of desire, more frequent interest in sex, and greater ability to become aroused. He may have a renewed sense that sex, after all, should be perennial,
not
sexennial (occurring every six years). And as previous pages have touched on, if he has ED, increased testosterone may partly or completely resolve it.

—
Mood enhancements.
Men who restore their testosterone levels often describe feeling more youthful, “masculine,” mentally alert, creative, and alive; they tend to use adjectives like
energetic, vigorous, recharged
, and
rejuvenated
. Many report newfound sensations of well-being, overall self-confidence, and zest for life. Their partners often find them happier, more pleasant, and less irritable.

—
Greater lean muscle mass.
Many studies have found that increased testosterone improves overall muscle bulk. Not only does it enlarge each muscle cell, but it may also create more muscle by “recruiting” nearby cells to become muscle cells. Due to increased lean muscle mass, men who restore their testosterone levels may also experience increased overall body weight.

—
Increased muscle strength.
Research shows testosterone treatment can increase muscle strength, even without exercise. One study found a 17 percent increase without exercise, and a 27 percent increase with exercise. Men who restore their testosterone levels often experience measurable improvements in their workouts and reduced workout-recovery time.

—
Body-fat reduction.
At the same time that testosterone increases lean muscle mass, it reduces body fat—especially belly fat.

—
Improved bone density.
If a man has decreased bone density due to low testosterone, treatment with testosterone can gradually improve his bone density.

If your partner has low testosterone, improvements may begin to be noticed within the first few months of treatment and are likely to stay in effect for as long as his testosterone level remains restored. Men who seek testosterone treatment for a particular symptom, such as low libido or difficulty maintaining erections, often experience unexpected benefits in other areas of their lives.

How to Determine If a Man Has Low Testosterone

If your partner has one or more of the symptoms described above, and if there are no other obvious reasons for his symptoms, he can determine whether he has low testosterone by having a doctor order blood tests that measure his levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, and estrogen. Two other blood tests, a sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) test and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, are also helpful, especially if he’s considering testosterone replacement treatment, which we’ll explore in the pages ahead. Another test, not typically done by conventional physicians, is a comprehensive urine hormone test that measures testosterone and other hormones over a 24-hour period. This test provides much more information, including levels of testosterone, DHEA, progesterone, estrogen, and cortisol.

If these tests indicate a man has low testosterone, he’s a candidate for treatment—perhaps testosterone replacement—to elevate his testosterone level. At this point, it’s recommended that he have a doctor do additional tests to look for a possible explanation for his low testosterone: a luteinizing hormone test (to show if his pituitary gland is functioning correctly in regard to testosterone production) and a prolactin test (to rule out a rare pituitary gland tumor). If these tests come back showing normal results, he stands to gain from treatment methods as described in the following section.

Natural Solutions for Low Testosterone

If a man has one or more characteristic symptoms of low testosterone, and if blood and urine tests confirm low or borderline levels of either total or free testosterone, he may benefit from some form of treatment. In some cases, men with low testosterone don’t need to increase their testosterone levels; some have no symptoms, and increasing their testosterone may have no clear benefits. But if a man wants to change his condition, there are many steps he can take and many options available.

As with so many health issues, it makes sense to begin with natural treatments—the most conservative, gentlest, and safest methods—before considering other measures. Conventional doctors, who are trained to prescribe pharmaceutical and synthetic products, may be biased against natural approaches, but a growing body of evidence shows that natural therapies can be effective for many men with low testosterone. All natural methods give a man the satisfaction of avoiding the risks of taking synthetic testosterone, and some allow him to restore his own testosterone level with do-it-yourself approaches.

Let’s begin by exploring the gentlest of the natural treatments—the ways a man can enhance his testosterone production with lifestyle, diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and herbs:

—
Lifestyle.
Along with the lifestyle tips you discovered earlier in this book, most of the lifestyle recommendations we’ve explored for treating ED can also benefit a man with low testosterone. From the Chinese medicine perspective, a balanced lifestyle is essential; a life of excess exhausts a man’s chi, which can lead to premature aging and symptoms of decreased testosterone. Sleep is also important: a study published in 2011 in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
found that young men who slept fewer than five hours a night for eight consecutive nights averaged a 10 to 15 percent reduction in testosterone levels and experienced symptoms of low testosterone.

—
Diet.
Many people are unaware that a man’s diet can either reduce or boost his testosterone level. If your partner joins you in following the diet recommended in
Chapter 2
, it will go a long way toward supporting his natural testosterone production by helping keep his body fat under control. This is a key issue in testosterone production; men with increased abdominal fat have higher levels of estrogen, which causes decreased testosterone.

—
Exercise.
Research shows regular exercise can be beneficial as a means of boosting a man’s testosterone. It not only promotes testosterone production by helping prevent abdominal fat, but also mollifies cortisol, the testosterone-lowering stress hormone. Exercise is an effective natural, inexpensive way of increasing testosterone, and provides a wide range of other health gains.

Can Watching Sports Raise Your Partner’s Testosterone Level?

Recent research may explain why your partner loves watching sports. If his team wins, according to a 2010 report in the journal
Psychoneuroendocrinology
, his testosterone level rises. So next time you think he’s spending too much time glued to the sports channels, try reframing the issue: maybe he’s not a couch potato after all, but a conscientious partner ardently working on improving your sex life by upping his testosterone level.

—
Supplements.
As you’ve seen, zinc is important for a man’s testosterone level, vitamins B
₆
and magnesium support testosterone production, and DHEA may raise testosterone levels in some men. (See recommendations for dosage and use described previously in this chapter.)

—
Herbal remedies.
In our exploration of the herbal aphrodisiacs tongkat ali and
Tribulus terrestris
, we pointed out their potential for increasing a man’s testosterone level. (See dose and usage guidelines earlier in this chapter.) Suma can also be used, as recommended for aphrodisiac purposes in
Chapter 5
, to increase testosterone in men. And two Chinese herbal formulas you discovered in the preceding pages for treating ED, Man’s Treasure and Male Function, may also help some men with low testosterone.

Natural Bioidentical Testosterone Treatment

If a man has tried natural lifestyle methods for at least three months but still experiences symptoms, and tests have confirmed low or borderline levels of total or free testosterone, he may want to pursue testosterone treatment. In the right circumstances, it can help him immeasurably. If he also has low libido or ED as a result of low testosterone, natural testosterone may not only boost his libido and treat ED but also improve his overall vitality. One patient’s account of her partner’s experience is typical: “He just didn’t seem to have his mojo anymore; he was often tired and aloof about things he once loved. I never realized his moods were due to low testosterone. After tests showed his level was low and he starting natural testosterone, he said he never felt so good—and our once-passionate sex life returned.”