All content has been reviewed by a PhD from the preventive medicine department of the Faculty of Public Health of Sofia. ✅

TestosteroNerd is reader-supported. When you buy through the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

What Causes Low Testosterone In Men?

Arguably one of the most sought-after questions that guys ask is – what causes low testosterone in men? And since low T is undoubtedly one of the worst things that can happen to a man (apart from listening to J. Bieber), we as men absolutely need to know what the reason for that condition is in the first place.

Thankfully though, I’ll give you an answer to this question and more.

This includes what the signs of low testosterone are and how to give it a boost, so don’t go anywhere!

What Could Actually Cause Low T In The First Place?

It’s called hypogonadism and this term stands for the decreased function of your gonads i.e. testicles.

Or in other words, this is when your balls decide to call it a day and pretty much give you the finger in terms of producing sufficient amounts of testosterone.

When your nuts are under hypogonadism’s spell they tend to produce unsatisfactory amounts of our favorite hormone.

Unsatisfactory in every possible meaning, because of neither you nor your girlfriend/lover/wife/sister/pet/etc. would be satisfied with the end product!

Now that you have an idea what this condition is, let me dig further and explore the kinds of hypogonadism:

  1. Primary hypogonadism

  2. Secondary hypogonadism

You can look at them as two sides of the same coin.

Doesn’t really matter which side you’re given, you’ll be pretty much screwed anyway!

But hey it’s getting more and more interesting and I don’t want to leave you on a low note… Do I?

What causes low testosterone in men, man writing on a board

Types of Hypogonadism Explained

There’s a sequence to everything and our arch-enemy here, knows that all too well.

For this reason, the hypo condition can be split into two main sections or parts, whichever you prefer fellows!

1. Primary Hypogonadism

Primary hypogonadism basically means faulty testicles.

This quite clearly translates to your testosterone production being boned, like totally boned!

This situation can be BOTH inherited or acquired.

Testosteronerd Recommends Testogen for Naturally Boosting T levels

Perplexed by what I mean by that? Let me elaborate further!

Inherited hypogonadism is when:

  • You have the Klinefelter syndrome

  • You have cryptorchidism

  • You have hemochromatosis

The Klinefelter thing is not a positive feature to have, for sure!

It’s when you have an extra X chromosome.

And that my friends mean that you MIGHT possess some not-so-manly attributes such as wider hips, enlarged boobs, narrower shoulders and whatnot.

Cryptorchidism‘s a fancy, sophisticated in an unwanted manner kind of word, don’t you think?

It stands for testicles that haven’t descended…

From your abdomen that is when you were inside your mother’s belly!

While undescended balls may sound harmless and hilarious – trust me, it’s the polar opposite of that.

As for the last of the bunch, hemochromatosis (another overly complicated word) is not your friend, nor it needs to be.

It’s responsible for your body utilizing more Iron (the mineral, of course!) than it needs from the stuff you consume.

What does that mean?

Too much of this mineral can brutalize your nuts and/or mess with your pituitary gland!

This is an artistic representation of… gonads (testes)!

What causes low testosterone in men, pair of nuts
This is an artistic representation of… gonads (testes)!

As unfortunate as all of this is, the primary variation of this condition is a great excuse to blame your genetics (didn’t want to say, parents, really).

So we’ve got the initial hypogonadism all covered, cheers!

Now it’s time for the more spicy information, it’ll be about:

2. Secondary Hypogonadism

This type of hypogonadism is completely caused by external factors.

Here you can safely blame yourself or someone/something else for your impaired testosterone production.

Yep folks, be it the famous pituitary gland or even the hypothalamus (parts of our brain where T production is controlled).

If you screw up any of these aspects and your in for some TROUBLE!

As I don’t want to sound too pessimistic, let me throw some conditions connected to the function of the pituitary gland and/or the hypothalamus.

These fall under the second-ish hypogonadism problem:

  • Inflammatory processes – sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and histiocytosis are all rather nasty and have the naughty ability to interfere with the functions of the hypothalamus and the… yes, you know which gland!

  • Immunodeficiency viruses – say hello to HIV (or AIDS) and just keep in mind that this atrocity of a virus could potentially also affect your testicles or the GLAND (not sure how many more times I’ll repeat this word) plus the… aye, h-y-p-o-t-h-a-l-a-m-u-s!

  • Pituitary gland problems – such as caused by kidney malfunction, certain tumorous overgrowth etc. and such issues are able to mess your whole endocrine system up, big time.

You’re probably scared to death now, you probably assume that it’s game over after reading such, how to put it… discouraging info.

But I’m here to save the day and tell you that NO, not all is lost. It’s more than possible to treat low testosterone in a natural manner, without injecting your butt with synthetic crap!

Be A Man, Get The Girl: Testosterone & Success With Women

How Can I Raise Testosterone Levels Then?

You can do that through a number of very effective ways.

But in my opinion (and based on science), the top 5 methods for giving more oomph to your natural T production are:

  • Get more vitamin D – Either by using a supplement or by directly exposing your skin to sunlight e.g. sunbathing (1)

  • Exercise – Weightlifting is your best bet if you want the most bang for your buck when it comes to increasing your testosterone (2)

  • Use testosterone boosting supplements – There are lots of great options out there, like my personal favorite – TestoGen (read more about my experience with it in my TestoGen review)

  • Reduce your alcohol consumption – Consider throwing drinking alcohol out the window, since the intoxication that results from drinking booze will lower your plasma T levels (3)

  • Eat the right foods – Foods like pomegranates, eggs and olive oil are superb for optimizing your primary male hormone levels

And while increasing your masculinity in a natural way is both possible and completely harmful (as opposed to using things like steroids).

Doing a blood test is always a sound plan in order to get an accurate reading of the amount of testosterone that’s coursing through your veins.

What causes low testosterone in men, diseases

What Diseases Can Cause Low Testosterone?

These are the most common diseases that may the reason why your T levels are on the lower end:

  • Sarcoidosis, histiocytosis, and tuberculosis – These 3 are inflammatory diseases and they can have a negative impact on T production by affecting the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus.

    And Sarcoidosis seems to be the most unpleasant one with 46.7% of patients (men) who suffer from that disease have decreased T concentrations (4), (5).

  • HIV a.k.a. AIDS – Apparently, having HIV more often than not means that you also have insufficient amounts of testosterone in your body.

    Studies show that the vast majority of men who are infected with AIDS have to deal with low testosterone (6).

And please, if you’re dealing with any of these awful diseases, take my advice:

Go see a doctor, don’t just try to come up with your own ‘unique’ alternative treatment method or something!

What Are The Symptoms Of Low Testosterone In Males?

Here are five of the most prevalent and noticeable symptoms when it comes to low T:

  • Decreased libido and/or sex drive

  • Increased body fat levels

  • Sleep disturbances (e.g. insomnia)

  • Depression

  • Reduced lean muscle mass

Want to read more about the nasty symptoms associated with having insufficient amounts of T:

Then head over to my low testosterone and symptoms article right away!

Are You Sure That You Have Low Testosterone Though?

Just by looking at Arnold in Conan and immediately concluding that you’re a tiny shrimp compared to him is of no use.

Yeah, during the shooting for this movie he was more than likely walking around with 20x the amounts of testosterone that any regular Joe would carry in his system.

Or simply “guessing” that you could very well be one of those unfortunate guys that have been cursed with low T, is plain and simple… unwise (to put it mildly)!

If you catch my drift or if you don’t, to put it super-simply-simple (yay for triple ‘s’):

You need a blood test to determine your testosterone levels!

You need to do a blood test to ACCURATELY determine your testosterone levels!

And no, saliva or urine tests are nowhere near as accurate, so don’t even think about half-assing it bro!

Be a man, stand strong, roll up your sleeves and let the nurse do her job.

I know, there are nurses that you’d prefer to do a different kind of service for you, but come on … we’re using our main heads now!

Before ANY kind of assumptions, please, pretty please – go to a lab in your town/city/village/camp/underground base/whatever, ask for testosterone level test and voila or as the Heineken commercial goes – “and now we wait!”.

So, time to ask a closely related question, no?

The exact range for normal testosterone levels is somewhere in there!

What causes low testosterone in men, tablet and a laptop
The exact range for normal testosterone levels is somewhere in there!

What’s Considered Normal When It Comes To Testosterone?

First and foremost, normal is when something is right between below-normal and above-normal.

It’s the golden standard, the perfect equilibrium, the ideal utopia… you get my point!

As a rule of thumb, it’s been accepted that this is the range that’s considered normal:

280 – 1,100 ng/dl

One thing’s for sure though, it’s a WIDE range.

Almost as wide as the cape cod canal (widest in the world, for your info).

Yet, anything below the 300 mark is and even should be considered tiny, miniature, puny… microscopic amounts of testosterone!

This bro looks like he’s wondering whether or not his T levels are within the normal range… just do a bloody BLOOD test mate, doh!

What causes low testosterone in men, a man in a forest
This bro looks like he’s wondering whether or not his T levels are within the normal range… just do a bloody BLOOD test mate, doh!

Conclusion

The main antagonist here goes by the name of hypogonadism –  no more, no less.

In this article, I’ve outlined the main causes of your below-the-norm values of our favorite hormone.

Well, practically not just outlined, because I went deeper (ha-ha) into the subject by giving you a more sophisticated approach.

Remember that going for a blood test is always preferred if you think about doing one.

Excluding all the warning signs of low T, this has to be the best option to go for when you’re in doubt of your alpha male status.

And basically, always aim to be at the higher end of the spectrum – we want to be as manly as possible, now DON’T WE?

I pray that this post of mine was an eye-opener for you.

Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of which aspects are the true origin of the most dreaded condition for every single man out there.

Got a question or want to tell me how much you enjoyed reading this?

No worries, drop me a comment in the section below this post!

FAQs

What are the primary causes of low testosterone in men?

There are several factors that can contribute to low testosterone levels in men, including age, obesity, certain medical conditions (such as diabetes and hypogonadism), medications, and certain lifestyle habits (such as excessive alcohol consumption and drug use).

Can stress and lack of sleep contribute to low testosterone levels in men?

Yes, chronic stress and lack of sleep can negatively impact hormone production and contribute to low testosterone levels in men.

Cortisol, the stress hormone, can interfere with testosterone production, while sleep deprivation can disrupt the body’s hormone regulation.

Can certain medications cause low testosterone levels in men?

Yes, some medications can affect testosterone levels in men, including opioids, corticosteroids, and certain hormone therapies used to treat prostate cancer.

Can low testosterone levels in men be treated with testosterone replacement therapy?

In some cases, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may be used to treat low testosterone levels in men.

However, TRT is not recommended for all men with low testosterone and should only be used under the guidance of a healthcare provider.

Are there any lifestyle changes men can make to improve testosterone levels?

Yes, there are several lifestyle changes men can make to improve their testosterone levels, such as maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, reducing stress levels, improving sleep habits, and avoiding excessive alcohol and drug use.

Some studies have also suggested that certain dietary changes, such as increasing protein and zinc intake, may help boost testosterone levels.

Website | + posts

I've been fascinated by natural male hormone optimization since 2016. And ever since I've been going through boatloads of different meta-analyses and scientific data associated with increasing testosterone levels naturally. I hold a PhD degree in public health and have 10+ scientific publications on Google Scholar. Thus, in my collective work here you'll find helpful tricks, natural remedies, detailed product reviews (including stuff I've personally tried)... and more!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Although I'm a Ph.D., I'm not a medical doctor. The content on this websites is meant for educational and informational purposes only, it's not medical advice. The information and other content found on this website is not a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.