The new wellness trend putting men’s health and fertility at risk
What is testosterone optimisation? The new trend with worrying health risks
- Private clinics are promoting "testosterone optimisation" as a lifestyle fix for general symptoms like fatigue and weight gain, moving beyond its medical use for confirmed testosterone deficiency.
- These services often use potentially unreliable finger-prick tests or single, non-fasting blood samples, which can lead to inaccurate diagnoses due to the natural fluctuation of testosterone levels.
- While testosterone therapy is beneficial for men with medically confirmed hypogonadism, starting treatment when hormone levels are already normal offers little advantage and can expose people to unnecessary risks.
- Inappropriate or unsupervised testosterone therapy can lead to serious side effects, including infertility, an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, and blood clots.
- Experts say that testosterone is a prescription-only drug requiring careful diagnosis, regular monitoring, and specialist supervision.