Low T

Prescription Testosterone use has tripled in the last decade. And the controversy over its use is both important and astonishing.

First, its activity. Testosterone is a potent anabolic steroid that stimulates protein synthesis promoting muscle and organ growth. It is also a potent anti-fertility drug.

Testosterone is famously low in men with coronary artery disease. Obesity apparently leads to low testosterone levels. So the excitement that testosterone therapy leads to coronary artery disease misses the point; the disease is associated with what the hormone is treating, not the therapy..

In spite of its anti-fertility activity, 12% of prescriptions for testosterone go to 18 and 19 year olds. More, 25% of urologists who prescribe the drug, prescribe it to promote fertility.