Do You Need To Worry About TRT Therapy Side Effects?
The answer is yes & no.
You need to be aware of the potential TRT therapy side effects, so it is something you can make sure is discussed with your doctor/ clinic.
I’m a big fan of TRT, without question it will deliver the best results in terms of optimising testosterone production.
However the same as with any medical procedures there are potential side effects, these can & will be mitigated by a good doctor/ clinic.
So I want the main take away from this article to be that you need to select your clinic carefully & go with a highly respected doctor.
We will take a look at the main potential TRT therapy side effects, again so you know what discuss with your doctors.
Why Would You Want To Optimize Testosterone Levels?
I imagine you are aware of the benefits of optimized testosterone production if you are reading this article.
The above image demonstrates a lot of the key benefits; but there are more which we you can take a look at below.
- Increased muscle mass
- Lower body fat
- Reduced risk of stroke
- Improved sexual function
- Increased energy
- Increased confidence & motivation
- Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
- Reduced risk of developing some cancers
- Reduced risk of depression
- Reduced risk of dementia
For more in depth overviews for how testosterone levels impact male health, I suggest you check out the below articles.
Testosterone & Health
How Many People Experience Side Effects?
The number of people who experience immediate side effects are actually fairly low.
It should be noted that you are more likely to suffer from side effects the older you are.
Again working with a reputed clinic & doctor that you trust is imperative as well.
The Potential TRT Therapy Side Effects
Lets take a look at some of the main potential TRT therapy side effects are. The most common ones are as follows:
- Growth of “breast” tissue/ development of man boobs
- Lowered Sperm Count/ Infertility
- Oily skin & acne
- Increased risk of blood clots
- Testicle Shrinkage
- Increased risk of stroke & heart attack
As you can see there are a few different side effects, most of them aren’t that pleasant.
As I’ve already advised these are all avoidable & can be mitigated.
Using a combination of the right treatment & making sure you lead the right lifestyle will ensure the side effects are successfully avoided.
So now we are going to look at each of the potential side effects in a bit more details.
Growth of breast Tissue
This is usually referred to as moobs/ man boobs or by the medical team gynecomastia.
This growth of breast tissue is usually down to an excess of estrogen.
This can occur when someone is on TRT but they haven’t suitably lowered their body fat and inflammation levels.
The high levels of body fat & inflammation, which is caused by poor diet, stress etc. actually leads to the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.
This is a process called aromatization, the way to deal with this is lose excess body fat & lower inflammation.
Lowered Sperm Count/ Infertility & Testicle Shrinkage
If you boost testosterone exogenously (not naturally), it can potentially stunt the production of the hormones that are responsible for sperm production.
The stunting of these hormones production can also lead to testicular atrophy/ testicle shrinkage.
If you are planning to start have children, this is something that needs to be considered before starting a TRT course & needs to be discussed with your doctor.
Again a good clinic will look at all the different types of treatment available to you & adapt the treatment accordingly.
Oily Skin & Acne
When serum levels of testosterone are extremely increased, an increase in the secretion of sebum can also occur.
This can lead to the development of acne. This is extremely rare & is something your doctor should be able to work with you to negate.
Increased risk of blood clots
Studies have shown that there is fairly high risk (up to 63%) of suffering from blood clots in the first six months of TRT therapy.
The risk does decline after the initial six month period but is definitely something your doctor should be addressing with you.
Again it is very much dependent on the treatment your doctor is prescribing, a competent doctor will be able to manage this, while tracking your risk.
You can find out more about the study & get more in-depth figures & findings on the below link.
Increased Risk Of Stroke & Heart Attack
TRT can lead to developing something called polycythemia, this occurs in over 20% of men.
Polycythemia can lead to an increased incidence of vascular events, including stroke & heart attacks.
Much the same as with blood clots, a competent doctor/ clinic will be able to prescribe correct treatment while minimizing your risk.
Already Started Or Decided To Start TRT Therapy?
If this is a path you want to go down, I hope the potential TRT therapy side effects have not put you off!
If you have primary hypogonadism (where the testicles no longer work properly) you need to go down the TRT route without question.
The main take away from this article should be that that you need to work with a reputable clinic!
If you have queries as to what your best option is in terms of clinics, you can drop me an email on nate@testosteronetips.net
If you haven’t done so, I would also recommend a blood test before moving forward.
Many clinics will offer tests (and should) but if you want a test independent/ prior to engaging a clinic.
You can check out the organisations that I recommend below.
Recommended TRT Blood Test Services
Final Thoughts
I hope you have found this article on TRT therapy side effects useful.
I hope the main take aways have been clear, they are you need to engage with a reputable clinic & doctor.
If you want a recommendation, query about what you should be discussing with them etc. just drop me an email on nate@testosteronetips.net
You will get the most from your therapy by naturally optimising testosterone and lowering inflammation levels.
‘I’ll be publishing an article specifically looking at this shortly; but you can check out my different articles in ways to lower inflammation & naturally help increase T.
If you aren’t necessarily ready to move forward to with TRT; but are just worried you have low T levels.
I would suggest your first step is to establish if you have low testosterone levels with a blood test.
You can check out the blood testing services I recommend below.
Recommended Home Testosterone Tests Service
Same as always if you can share this article with anyone you think may find it useful.
You can also follow me on my social mediate sites, where I cover areas like TRT therapy side effects & how to optimize testosterone production.
