Talking to your doctor
If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, then you should talk to your doctor. Testosterone deficiency is not an easy topic to talk about, and many men put it off for months, even years, while suffering in silence.
But the sooner you tell your doctor about your symptoms, the quicker you are likely to receive treatment, which will get your sex life and energy levels back on track. So why delay?
After you have told your doctor about your symptoms, he/she will probably further assess your symptoms by asking questions about your sex life, use of any medications, lifestyle and your desire for fertility.
Some screening tools that may be used Ageing Males’ Symptoms (AMS) scale, to check the severity of your symptoms, BMI (body mass index) to determine obesity risk, which is a strong indicator that your symptoms really are caused by testosterone deficiency. However, men with symptoms who have BMI below 30, or waist circumference of 94 cm or higher (regardless of BMI), can also have low testosterone.
Do complete the online symptom checker you can print out your results and bring them to your doctor appointment.
Talking to your partner
Have you talked to your partner about your symptoms? Read our tips on talking to your partner.
How is low testosterone diagnosed?
Find out how testosterone deficiency is diagnosed by healthcare professionals.
If you’re embarrassed to mention your specific symptoms, try this lead in:
“I’ve heard a lot about the consequences of low testosterone and think I may be affected - can we talk about it?”
You can then tell your doctor that you have completed the ADAM questionnaire
online and show the results you printed out.
Breaking the ice