You may have seen ads making bold claims: feel younger, get stronger, improve your sex drive. The ads tend to be for therapies that contain a synthetic replacement for testosterone, a naturally occurring hormone. Testosterone plays a vital role in the external development of genital organs and secondary sex characteristics — such as a deep voice and facial hair. Marketers tend to target middle-aged and older men since levels of the hormone fall with age.
However, experts agree that testosterone is not a miracle drug that will cure all problems. Further, it comes with some important risks. The Food and Drug Administration has only approved testosterone therapy for low testosterone with a clear medical cause.
In addition to affecting voice and facial hair, testosterone impacts other parts of the body, including bone density, blood pressure and the creation of red blood cells. It’s produced primarily in the testicles, and testosterone levels vary greatly among men. Women make testosterone in their ovaries and adrenal glands, but they make much less.
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