Testosterone is a hormone that impacts a man's health and it naturally declines as they age.
"Many many more men are going to the physicians or seeing their physicians and having testosterone levels checked," said Dr. Matthew Leinung, endocrinologist at Albany Medical Center. "There is a lot more people getting testosterone than probably need it."
Who needs testosterone and who doesn't is the questions many doctors are asking. While the number of men getting tested is on the rise the concern is the levels can fluctuate throughout the day.
"The levels are higher in the morning if you check them and at noon they will look lower," Dr. Leinung said.
Other factors such as stress can cause the hormone to dip.
"I had someone in my office recently who had a death in the family and testosterone drop significantly, many months later after going through the bereavement process guess what? The testosterone levels are coming back up," Dr. Leinung said.
Low levels of testosterone can be found under certain conditions.
"We look like it in people who have had a pituitary problems," Dr. Leinung said. "It's more common in diabetics."
Signs of have low testosterone, decreased libido, difficulty achieving an erection, low semen volume, hair loss, lack of energy, increase in body fat, decrease in bone mass, and mood swings. Men who take too much testosterone, for example body builders may be putting themselves at risk for very serious health problems down the road.
"People that juice up on anabolic steroids have higher rates of sports injuries and arthritic complaints," Dr. Leinung said. "We think probably see elevated rates of heart disease as well."
If you are taking testosterone and considering stooping talk to your doctor doing off the hormone can have serious side effects for several few months.