Talking to your doctor

If you think you are experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, you should talk to your doctor. Indeed, the sooner you talk to your doctor, the quicker you can have your symptoms evaluated and checked, and if necessary, you will receive appropriate treatment.

When you have that initial talk with your doctor, they will probably further assess your symptoms by asking questions about your sex life, use of any medications, and your lifestyle.

Your doctor may ask you to complete other more detailed questionnaires such as the Ageing Males Symptom (AMS) Scale, which asks you to grade the severity of a few symptoms associated with ageing and testosterone deficiency.

Your doctor is also likely to measure your body weight and height to establish your BMI (Body Mass Index). A BMI of 30 or higher is the diagnostic threshold of obesity. However, men with symptoms who have a BMI below 30, or waist circumference of 94 cm or higher (regardless of BMI), can also have low testosterone.

To complete the diagnosis, your doctor will also take a blood sample to complete a few tests including measurement of testosterone levels. The symptoms associated with low testosterone can be uncomfortable to talk about for some men, especially the sexual ones. This may result in a man putting off talking to their doctor for months or even years, understandably. However, it is important that you talk about all your symptoms, how long you have had them and tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking including those you may have bought over the counter including any vitamin supplements.

If for whatever reason, you think you may have low testosterone, but have not yet talked to your doctor, the Ageing Males Symptom (AMS) Scale is available here. We recommend you complete the scale and discuss the results with your doctor in the case that your result indicate you may have low testosterone.

Talking to your partner

Have you talked to your partner about your symptoms? Read our tips on talking to your partner.