Will boosting my testosterone improve my sexual performance?

Sexual performance can mean a few different things. Depending on what part of your sexual performance you want to improve, testosterone boosting may or may not help. These include:

• Whether you can get or stay hard (erectile dysfunction)

• Sex drive (sexual arousal)

• Whether you can last longer in bed:

• Not coming as early (premature ejaculation)

• Not having to take a break because of physical tiredness (physical endurance)

Erectile dysfunction - if you are having problems getting an erection hard enough for sex, testosterone is unlikely to be the cause of the problem. Erection problems can have a number of causes and there are treatments for them, none of which affect your testosterone levels.

If you are having problems with erectile dysfunction, you can order a type of medication called a PDE-5 inhibitor which can help treat most causes of erection problems. These include:

• Viagra (Sildenafil)

• Cialis

• Levitra

• Spedra

How can I boost my testosterone levels?

There are a few things that will boost your testosterone levels. Which one will work best for you depends on your personal circumstances. Some are easier to achieve than others, and some are safer than others. However, we recommend you talk to your doctor if you are worried about your testosterone levels.

Exercise – in particular, resistance (weights) training. Studies show that you get a short burst of testosterone whenever you do exercise that requires a lot of energy. This means when your body is forced to provide a lot of energy to your muscles, like during weight training, testosterone is released.

Diet – having more red meat in your diet can boost your testosterone levels. Having said this, we recommend you keep a balanced diet and only eat red meat in moderation.

Winning competitions – maybe an unexpected source of testosterone, studies have shown that after winning a competition your testosterone levels are boosted for a while.

Time between orgasms – studies have shown that waiting up to 7 days between orgasms can cause your testosterone levels to rise day by day. However, they then fall again from the 8th day onwards.

Anabolic steroids – these are prescription only medications that are only given to people who need them. Unless a doctor recommends them for you they aren’t a suitable way to boost your testosterone.

Puberty – this isn’t one you can have any control over, it happens naturally and at different times and speeds for different people. Testosterone helps change a male child into adult and is responsible for:

• Height

• Genital size

• Body hair

• Prostate glands

• Sexual behaviour

What does boosting my testosterone levels do?

Men with low testosterone – for men with testosterone levels below the normal range for men, a boost can have a few additional effects. These include:

• Increased sex drive

• Increased bone density

• Better fluency (flow) of speech

• Lower levels of fat around the waist

• Better sleeping patterns – interestingly this is related to having more erections in your sleep

• Reduced symptoms of depression in some men

Boosting your testosterone above normal levels does NOT:

• Improve erectile dysfunction

• Increase aggression

• Make prostate cancer more likely

Who can get a prescription for steroids?

Anabolic steroids are the prescription medication used to increase testosterone in some people. These medications are a mixture of natural and manmade testosterone. Anabolic steroids might be prescribed for:

• People with low levels of testosterone, such as:

• Men who can’t produce enough naturally (have hypogonadism)

• Older women who have gone through the menopause and have low testosterone as a result

• Men that are born female and are going through gender reassignment

Anabolic steroids should only be used as advise by a doctor. They are not suitable if:

Do testosterone supplements really work?

There aren’t any supplements that are shown to naturally boost your testosterone levels. There are a few dietary supplements that are believed to help your body manage your testosterone levels better. These include:

• Zinc

• Potassium

• Vitamin D

Unless you have a deficiency of one of these vitamins or minerals in your body, then these supplements may not affect your testosterone levels.

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) extract - this is a chemical that used in your body which a ‘hormone precursor’. This means it’s the chemical used by the body to create hormones like oestrogen or testosterone. When taken as supplement it is believed to boost testosterone levels, but DHEA has not been shown to increase testosterone in men. DHEA comes in two form:

• Pharmaceutical strength - produced in a laboratory to match human DHEA, it’s a class C drug in the UK if it hasn’t been legally prescribed to you

• DHEA extracts - found in health food stores and produced from yams, it has a much lower concentration than the prescription form

‘Testosterone boosting’ products  - found online, or in health food or body-building shops, these products claim to boost testosterone levels if you buy them. The majority of these products will not have the effect you want and are not worth spending money on. Any of these products that do have a real effect may have a form of prescription medication in which is both dangerous and illegal.

What are the risks of testosterone abuse?

Taking testosterone without a doctor’s advice can be very dangerous to your health. It can cause:

• Your red blood cells to become abnormally large

• Your blood to become too thick

• Damage to your liver through liver toxicity

Testosterone abuse is defined as illegally giving yourself large doses of testosterone medication for reasons other than health (eg, body-building). People who are most likely to abuse testosterone are:

• Athletes

• Body-builders

• Men who have lower testosterone due to the male menopause (andropause)

Testosterone abuse can also have serious legal consequences. You could sentenced to:

• Up to 2 years in prison for possession of illegal testosterone medication

• Up to 14 years in prison for sharing or selling illegal testosterone medication

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