We often mistake testosterone as the “male” hormone. While it’s true that men do produce ten times more testosterone than women, it still plays an important role in the health of women. This is especially true during a woman’s reproductive years when there is actually more testosterone produced in a woman than estrogen.
Testosterone injections deliver testosterone into the muscle. The testosterone is then absorbed directly into the bloodstream over time. The absorption period depends on the type of testosterone injected. Injections usually take place in the thighs, glutes or deltoid muscles.
Read on to learn about the most common forms of injectable testosterone, therapeutic dosages, pros and cons of testosterone injections, and injection demonstration resources.
Testosterone therapy is not a quick fix that will end or reverse all symptoms of low testosterone overnight, but that does not mean that someone will have to wait months and months before he or she starts to notice positive improvements in their life. How quickly testosterone injections work in the body is going to be subject to how each individual’s system responds to the hormone.
The Scientific Affairs team at Men's Healthcare in Germany recently asked that same question, and their results were quite interesting.
With testosterone replacement therapy, effects on sexual interest appear after three weeks and plateau at six weeks, with no further increments expected beyond. Changes in erections/ejaculations may require up to 6 months of testosterone replacement therapy. Effects on quality of life manifest within 3-4 weeks, but maximum benefits take longer.
Effects on depressive mood become detectable after 3-6 weeks with a maximum after 18-30 weeks. Effects on erythropoiesis (the process by which red blood cells are produced) are evident at three months, peaking at 9-12 months. Prostate-specific antigen and volume rise, marginally, plateauing at 12 months; further increase should be related to aging rather than testosterone replacement therapy. Effects on lipids appear after four weeks, maximal after 6-12 months. Insulin sensitivity may improve within few days, but effects on glycemic control become evident only after 3-12 months. Changes in fat mass, lean body mass, and muscle strength occur within 12-16 weeks, stabilize at 6-12 months, but can marginally continue over the years. Effects on inflammation occur within 3-12 weeks. Effects on bone are detectable already after six months while continuing for at least for three years. Read the full study here.
These results show that while the effectiveness time with testosterone replacement therapy varies from symptom to symptom, it does take only a short time to see improvements compared to dealing with the effects of low testosterone for a lifetime. (Tweet this!)
The information highlighted in this article is a guideline of what to expect but is not set in stone. Some people may experience certain results at a faster pace while others may find it takes a little longer to see positive changes. How quickly testosterone therapy works for each person is also, in part, dependent on the steps taken to assist the process by making subtle changes in one’s lifestyle. Getting proper sleep, eating well, and exercising will all help improve the effectiveness of testosterone treatment.
Men with low testosterone symptoms were almost three times as likely to be depressed as those with higher testosterone levels.
The study, which appears in the March 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, shows that older men with abnormally low free testosterone levels are 271% more likely to display clinically significant signs of depression than men with higher testosterone levels.