{"id":902529,"date":"2026-06-30T06:57:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/902529\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T06:57:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:57:27","slug":"3-symptoms-men-blame-on-low-testosterone-but-could-be-something-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/902529\/","title":{"rendered":"3 symptoms men blame on low testosterone \u2014 but could be something serious"},"content":{"rendered":"

More men than ever<\/a> are on testosterone. But experts say boosting this sex hormone may not solve your woes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSigns and symptoms of low testosterone are often very generalizable and can be due to something else, either in addition to or separately from having low testosterone,\u201d Dr. Justin Dubin<\/a> <\/strong>told The Post.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason so many people are on testosterone, or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), is because a script is easier than ever to get. There are a number of companies<\/a> offering the hormone through a process that\u2019s completely online.<\/p>\n

That results in men getting on T without actually needing it. Only 12% of men<\/a> who have a testosterone prescription actually had low testosterone levels, one study showed.<\/p>\n

Low testosterone could cause issues like low sex drive and low energy. Daniels C\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Dubin, a urologist and director of men\u2019s sexual health at Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, explains why something might look like low T but is actually something else that shouldn\u2019t go untreated.<\/p>\n

#1: Low sex drive<\/p>\n

Though low sex drive might seem to be the most obviously pointing to low T, Dubin said it could be caused by mental health issues like depression and anxiety, or even medication.<\/p>\n

Depression, sex and anxiety can make it hard to be interested or have energy for things that used to make you happy, like sex. Medications like ones<\/a> for high blood pressure, depression (like SSRI medications) and seizures can also decrease libido.<\/p>\n

The only way to know if it\u2019s low testosterone or something else is to see your doctor so they can assess the whole picture, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat men need to know is that sexual health\u202fis\u202fhealth. Sexual problems may be a warning sign of or a direct result of some other health issues that you may have,\u201d he said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t just looking at your testosterone levels, we are looking at your overall health.\u202f\u201d<\/p>\n

#2: Low energy<\/p>\n

\u201cLow energy is another sign of low testosterone, but that can also be due to lack of sleep, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, mental health issues, anemia and lifestyle, just to name a few,\u201d Dubin said.<\/p>\n

Sleep apnea is a disorder where breathing stops and starts repeatedly during sleep, and can result in loud snoring or waking up gasping or choking. Left untreated<\/a>, this could result in serious heart issues like stroke or heart failure.<\/p>\n

Low energy could point to low T \u2014 but could also be sleep or mental health issues. Prostock-studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to untangle what\u2019s causing what, since low T is associated with many of these symptoms. Hypothyroidism is suppresses testosterone production. Testosterone naturally stimulates red blood cell production, and when there\u2019s not enough testosterone, it can result in anemia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany times, men can have more than one of these issues. Unfortunately, there remains a stigma in men\u2019s health, and many men continue to suffer in silence instead of getting the help they need,\u201d Dubin said.<\/p>\n

An\u00a0online survey from the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>\u00a0showed 72% of men would rather do chores like cleaning the bathroom than go to the doctor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is important for any man who is struggling with health issues to go see a doctor because, yes, it may be low testosterone, it may be something else, or it could be a combination of things. We can\u2019t know for sure unless you come in and get evaluated.\u201d<\/p>\n

#3: Erectile disfunction<\/p>\n

Erectile dysfunction could be a result of low testosterone, but could also point to a number of other issues.<\/p>\n

ED is one of the earliest signs of heart and vascular disease. The heart has a hard time pumping the blood needed for the erection. Untreated heart disease can rapidly progress to be life threatening, causing stroke or heart attack.<\/p>\n

Low testosterone could cause erectile dysfunction, but ED could also be a sign of another illness. \u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf \u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf\u00bf \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Seventy-five percent of men with diabetes also struggle with ED. High blood sugar damages the blood vessels needed for an erection. Left untreated, diabetes could cause heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, and vision loss.<\/p>\n

Smoking also damages blood vessels, restricting blood flow. Those who\u2019ve undergone pelvic treatments, like radiation or surgery for prostate cancer, might also struggle with ED, Dubin said.<\/p>\n

Beweare coexisting medical issues<\/p>\n

Men may suspect low T, but coexisting issues may make TRT less useful to treat the problem.<\/p>\n

Having a history of cancer, or undergoing cancer treatment, dealing with chronic illness, and obesity, all put men at risk of having low testosterone, Dubin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe signs and symptoms may be a combination of low testosterone and the other health issues you are struggling with.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s seen many men coming to him to address low T but actually are dealing with another, stigmatized problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seen many younger healthy men present in my office with low desire and erectile dysfunction \u2026 [some of] these men have normal testosterone levels and are\u202factually struggling\u202fwith mental health issues, life stressors, and relationship issues that can compromise their sexual desire and function,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More men than ever are on testosterone. But experts say boosting this sex hormone may not solve your…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":902530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[6017,181952,6335,210,22678,9480,10943,46714,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-902529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-depression","tag-erectile-dysfunction","tag-exclusive","tag-health","tag-hormones","tag-mens-health","tag-obesity","tag-testosterone","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116837760904452164","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}