Low-T FAQ

Clinically, Low-T is diagnosed with a simple blood test, which indicates how much testosterone you have right now. You’re generally diagnosed with low-T when testosterone levels drop under a benchmark of about 300 ng/dL. Focal Point also takes into consideration how a guest feels as the results from the blood test are only a piece of the story. While the blood level is a key factor, Focal Point also treats how you feel and may prescribe if your testosterone levels come above 300.

You’ll need a blood test to confirm low-T, but many men know something is off before they see any kind of lab results.

The symptoms of low-T strike your physical, sexual, and mental health, and can leave you feeling like you’ve been knocked out by the aging process. But what many people assume are just the side effects of aging are actually low-T symptoms – and they’re not something you have to keep living with.

Some common signs of low testosterone include:

• Low energy (2pm drop)
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Less interest in sex, or less stamina
• Irritability, depression, or all-around bad moods
• Having a hard time focusing
• Gaining weight, especially in your gut
• Thinning hair, including a patchy beard

Low testosterone absolutely plays a part in your mood, and a deficiency can make you feel pretty miserable. One of the classic signs of low T is irritability – everyone and everything around you are incredibly annoying, and it’s tough not to lose your temper. You can also feel depressed, or just “down,” and overly stressed about things that wouldn’t have gotten to you before.

Plus, when you think about how low T affects your body (including how you look and how you measure up in the bedroom), it makes sense that your confidence can take a serious hit. When you’re feeling tired, overweight, and insecure about sex, you probably aren’t going to be in the best mood ever.

Testosterone plays a huge part in your health and wellness, so when it’s low, there are going to be problems. But beyond the frustrating symptoms of low-T, there are also some low testosterone health risks that you need to know about.

• Issues with bone density (“brittle bones”), which can make it easier to fracture or break a bone
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Stroke

Since low-T can also factor into weight gain – and worse, fat gain – it can end up setting off a domino effect of health problems. We’re talking diabetes, heart issues, and even obesity, all tied back to untreated testosterone deficiencies.

You know all of those annoying things you just figured were a part of getting older? Turns out that many of those signs can actually be caused by low-T levels, which means that your symptoms are fixable.

Low testosterone levels can look a lot like the signs of aging, with symptoms that affect your entire body, like:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Lower sex drive
• Less muscle
• More fat
• Losing strength
• Feeling tired all the time
• Memory loss
• Losing bone density
• Depression
• Mood changes

For most men, low-T can be tied to getting older. Your body’s testosterone production usually peaks before you even hit 30, and then it’s all downhill from there. So, it’s pretty normal and surprisingly common – but that’s not to say that you should just accept it.

There are other causes of low-T, aside from aging:

• Obesity
• Marijuana use
• Drug/alcohol use
• Certain medical conditions, like autoimmune disorders
• Some medications, like steroids or opiates

Every guy is different, so there’s no exact standard for how quickly testosterone production declines with age. But there are research studies that give us a pretty good idea of the averages across the board.

Starting around age 30, your testosterone levels can drop off by 1% every single year – which adds up pretty quickly!

About 20% of men over 60 have low-T levels, and that percentage jumped to 30% for men in their 70s. When you pan out to men over 45, you’re looking at more than a third of guys dealing with low testosterone levels. In other words, it’s a common (but fixable!) issue for men once they hit middle age.