Male Hypogonadism - Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

What is Hypogonadism?

Hypogonadism is a gonadal disorder in which the body produces insufficient amounts of testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that plays an important role in the growth and development of the male body during puberty. Hypogonadism may also affect sperm production. The disease may develop during fetal development, before puberty or during adulthood.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of hypogonadism include:

During fetal development

Ambiguous or underdeveloped genitals

During puberty

Decreased muscle mass
Shrill male voice
Lack of facial and body hair
Impaired growth of the penis and testicles
Long arms and legs in comparison to the body
Growth of breast tissue

During Adulthood

Erectile dysfunction
Infertility
Decreased muscle mass
Lack of facial and body hair
Growth of breast tissue
Decreased bone mass

Causes

Common causes of hypogonadism include:

Klinefelter’s syndrome
Undescended testicles
Infection in the testicles
Too much iron in the blood
Injury to the testicles
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Kallmann’s syndrome
Pituitary disorders
Inflammatory disease
HIV/AIDS
Obesity

Risks

The following factors increase the risk of hypogonadism:

Old age
Obesity
Kallmann’s syndrome
Underdeveloped testicles
Infection in the testicles
Injury to the testicles
Testicular or pituitary tumors
HIV/AIDS
Klinefelter’s syndrome
Hemochromatosis
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy

Prevention

The disease cannot be prevented.

How is it diagnosed?

The doctor conducts a physical exam and may test the patient’s blood level of testosterone if any signs of hypogonadism are observed. An early detection during puberty helps in preventing severe ...

Hormone testing
Semen analysis
Pituitary imaging
Genetic studies
Testicular biopsy

How is it treated?

Treatment for hypogonadism is usually based on the underlying cause, age of the patient and his fertility concern. The treatments for hypogonadism include:

Hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy or testosterone replacement therapy helps in restoring muscle strength, stimulating puberty, preventing bone loss, increasing body energy and restoring the erectile function.
Injection
The doctor may suggest testosterone injections for treating hypogonadism. Testosterone is injected into the patient’s muscles. The procedure may cause some side effects depending on the frequency of the injections.
Patch
A patch that contains testosterone is applied daily to the patient’s body. The area of application (back, abdomen, upper arm or thigh) should be changed every day in order to avoid skin reactions.
Gel
Testosterone can be produced artificially in the body using certain gel preparations that can either be rubbed on the upper arm, shoulder, armpit, on the front and the inner thigh, from where the body absorbs the testosterone through your skin.
Testopel
Testopel is an implantable pellet that contains Testosterone and is surgically administered into the skin in a span of every three to six months.