Low testosterone is diagnosed with symptoms plus two early morning blood tests below 300 ng/dL. One low number alone is not enough.
The largest safety study to date, TRAVERSE, followed 5,246 men with heart disease or high heart risk for about three years. Heart attack, stroke and heart related death occurred in 7.0% of men on testosterone and 7.3% of men on placebo. In 2025 the FDA removed the heart risk language from the testosterone black box warning. The FDA also added a blood pressure warning, so we check your blood pressure at every step.
What improved: sexual activity and desire, and anemia. What did not change: erectile function and progression to diabetes. What surprised researchers: men on testosterone had more fractures, and the reason is still unknown.
Current research has not generally shown higher prostate cancer rates with testosterone. We still screen and monitor.
If you want children in the future, tell us first. Guidelines call for a fertility evaluation before starting.
Lifestyle is part of every plan. Choosing not to start testosterone is a valid choice too.