Hypogonadism is a condition in which the sex glands produce no sex hormones. The sex glands are called gonads. These are the testes in men and ovaries in women. These hormones also control the conditions like breast development and menstrual cycle in women and sperm production and testicular development in men, along with pubic hair growth.
Hypogonadism is gonad deficiency or low serum testosterone or andropause in males.
Types of hypogonadism
There are two types of hypogonadism
- Primary hypogonadism: This is a condition when a male has enough sex hormones, but there is a problem with gonads.
- Central or secondary hypogonadism: This is the condition where the problem is in the brain.
Causes of hypogonadism
The causes of hypogonadism are:
- autoimmune disorders
- genetic disorders
- undescended testes
- infections
- liver and kidney diseases
- hemochromatosis
- exposure to radiation
- sexual organs surgery
- pituitary disorders
- inflammatory diseases
- obesity or weight loss
- nutritional deficiencies
- brain surgery
Symptoms of hypogonadism
In females, the symptoms include:
- Disturbed menstruation cycle
- Slow or nil breast growth
- hot flashes
- Hair loss
- Zero sex drive
- Breast white discharge
Symptoms in males include:
- loss of hair
- muscle loss
- low or zero sex drive
- breast growth
- The slow growth of penis and testicles
- erectile dysfunction
- osteoporosis
- infertility
- fatigue and hot flashes
Diagnosis
Firstly, the Hypogonadism treatment Florida doctor conducts a physical exam. The session will assess whether the sexual development is happening as per the age. The doctor measures and examines muscle mass, body hair, sexual organs, etc.
Then, if your doctor thinks you might have hypogonadism, they suggest a test for determining sex hormone levels. A blood test can check the level of follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH. In the case of women, the estrogen level is tested, and in the case of Male, the testosterone level is tested. Males may also be advised to get a semen analysis done to check the sperm count. Hypogonadism can reduce your sperm count.
Treatments
If you are a female, then the treatment will need to increase the number of sex hormones through Estrogen therapy. A combination of estrogen and progesterone is given.
Other treatments can target specific symptoms. You may also get low doses of testosterone, injections of the human hormone choriogonadotropin, and FSH pills.
In the case of male hypogonadism, Testosterone replacement therapy is suggested. This is done by injection or patch, or gel. Injections of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone are common. If the hypogonadism is due to a tumor on the pituitary gland, then therapies like radiation and surgery are used to remove the tumor.
Hypogonadism is a chronic condition that may need a long treatment. Once the treatment stops, again, the sex drive may fall. You must seek support from the best doctor by searching Endocrinologist near me.
