Alternatives to Testosterone Therapy: A Review
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Although testosterone therapy (TTh) is an effective treatment for hypogonadism, recent concerns regarding its safety have been raised. In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about potential cardiovascular risks resulting from TTh. Fertility preservation is another reason to search for viable alternative therapies to conventional TTh, and in this review we evaluate the literature examining these alternatives.
AIMS: To review the role and limitations of non-testosterone treatments for hypogonadism.
METHODS: A literature search was conducted using PubMed to identify relevant studies examining medical and non-medical alternatives to TTh. Search terms included hypogonadism, testosterone replacement therapy, testosterone therapy, testosterone replacement alternatives, diet and exercise and testosterone, varicocele repair and testosterone, stress reduction and testosterone, and sleep apnea and testosterone.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Review of peer-reviewed literature.
RESULTS: Medical therapies examined include human chorionic gonadotropins, aromatase inhibitors, and selective estrogen receptor modulators. Non-drug therapies that are reviewed include lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise, improvements in sleep, decreasing stress, and varicocele repair. The high prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the United States suggests that disease modification could represent a viable treatment approach for affected men with…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Induced osteoblast differentiation by amide derivatives of stilbene: The possible osteogenic agents
- On model selections for repeated measurement data in clinical studies
- Regulation of GLUT transporters by flavonoids in androgen-sensitive and -insensitive prostate cancer cells
- Region-specific microRNA signatures in the human epididymis
- Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of 4-Amino-2H-benzo[h]chromen-2-one (ABO) analogs containing the piperazine moiety
- In Vitro characterization of the endocrine disrupting effects of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on the human androgen receptor
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.