As we mentioned in previous articles with either mental or physical stimulation, your brain signals the nerve ending in the penis to release nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes or dilates blood vessels, enabling them to open up and bring more blood to the penis and helping to create an erection. In fact you need to maintain the levels of testosterone to enhance the above reaction. If your levels of testosterone is low, it will reduce the sexual desire as a result of men's libido. In this article, we will discuss how low levels of free testosterone hormone imbalance effects men's libido.
What is testosterone? Starting at age 40, men start to experience the hormone changes to their physical, sexual and mental functions. The abdominal fat and shrinking of muscle mass is a sign of low levels of testosterone being produced by your body. Testosterone is not only important to our sexual activity, but also helps to maintain protein synthesis, muscle mass, bone formation and improves oxygen uptake throughout our body as well as controlling sugar levels and maintaining normal immune system.
How is testosterone produced? Testosterone production is a series of secretions. It starts from the brain, when the hypothalamus detects a deficiency of testosterone in the blood, it secretes a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone to the pituitary gland resulting in the luteininzing hormone being produced from the pituitary gland that prompts the legydig cells to produce testosterone. If any of the above steps go wrong, you may have testosterone deficiency causing erectile dysfunction and men's libido.
Low levels of testosterone and men's libido? Starting at the age of 40 the levels of prolactin increases, stimulating the conversion of dihydro-testosterone and converting estrogen resulting in estrogen occupying testosterone receptor sites or competing with the testosterone for the receptor sites on the cell membranes blocking testosterone's ability to induce a healthy hormone signal resulting in low sexual desire. Estrogen also can increase the production of sex-binding globulin to bind any active free testosterone into inactive bound testosterone.Testosterone must be kept in free form in the bloodstream in order to enhance long lasting sexual desire.
In fact, testosterone promotes sexual desire and facilitates performance, sensation and ultimate degree of fulfillment. Study shows that even with a restoration of free testosterone, some men may still have erectile dysfunction that is caused by other factors unrelated to hormone imbalance, such as blood vessels in the penis being blockage by cholesterol build up.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information of the above subject, please visit my home page at: http://sexualdysfunction09.blogspot.com/ http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com/
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism finds a connection between older men with low levels of testosterone and an increased long-term risk of death compared to men with normal testosterone levels. The study followed nearly 800 men, ages 50 to 91 years, who were living in a southern California community and who participated in the Rancho Bernardo Study during the 1980s. The men who were found to have total testosterone levels in the lowest quartile at the start of the study were 40 percent more likely to die over the next 18 years than those with higher levels. This difference could not be explained by age, illness, or lifestyle.
Assistant professor, Dr. Gail Laughlin, from the University of California San Diego notes, "This is the first report linking low levels of testosterone with earlier death in relatively healthy older men. We want to emphasize that this is an observational study and we cannot recommend that any man take testosterone based on these results. Only randomized clinical trials can determind whether testosterone supplements are safe and can promote longevity. In the meantime, lifestyle changes to prevent or decrease obesity may also extend longevity."
Low testosterone levels are often accompanied by symptoms such as low bone and muscle mass, increased fat mass, low energy, impaired physical, sexual, and cognitive function. Approximately 30 percent of men aged 60 years and older are afflicted with decreased testosterone levels.
Both Kyle Norton & Francisco Mejias are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.