Do you get tired more easily? Feel older than your chronological age?? Lack the energy to do the things you want to do??
Fatigue, feeling tired, is a common complaint. You want to get a work up for this as it can be caused by many things: sleep apnea, heart issues, anemia, infections, poor water intake, poor nutrition, lung issues, etc. It is important to have your physician, who knows you well, evaluate you to make sure everything is OK.
The problem arises when your evaluation is “normal” and there is no apparent cause of your fatigue. This is where anti depressants are often prescribed (sometimes they are needed but generally they are not). This is when you really should think about a hormonal imbalance causing your issues—especially if you are between 35 and 55 years old. Of course, hormonal imbalances can affect men and women younger or older than this.
Most people think of low thyroid as a cause of fatigue and it can be overlooked by physicians when the levels are “normal” but not optimal. However, low Testosterone in men and women is more often missed in traditional office settings and is a common cause of fatigue, as well as brain fog, muscle mass loss, loss of overall vitality, etc. Men are typically not treated until their Testosterone levels are critically low, and then they are only offered synthetic replacements and their Testosterone levels are not even brought up to optimal levels. Women are generally not even treated at all for low Testosterone in a traditional medical setting. Medical training programs forget that women need Testosterone too, just at lower levels than men.
The long term risks of not correcting low Testosterone is bone loss (osteoporosis), dementia, possible increased heart disease risk, etc. plus an overall decrease in vitality and energy. If you feel that you may have a hormonal imbalance and you have not gotten the help you need, you naturally want that help.
