Men’s Use of Testosterone “Abuse,” Women’s use of Estrogen a Right
by W.F. PRICE on JUNE 5, 2013
Recent reports on the growing use of testosterone supplementation by middle-aged and older men have suggested that it’s a problem we ought to worry about, because most men “don’t need it.”
From the NY Times:
The number of middle-aged men with prescriptions for testosterone is climbing rapidly, raising concerns that increasing numbers of men are abusing the powerful hormone to boost their libidos and feel younger, researchers reported on Monday.
Testosterone replacement therapy is approved specifically for the treatment of abnormally low testosterone levels, a condition called hypogonadism. The hormone helps build muscle, reduce body fat and improve sex drive. But a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that many men who get prescriptions for the hormone have no evidence of a deficiency at all.
The new study is the largest of testosterone prescribing patterns to date, involving nearly 11 million men who were tracked through a large health insurer. The report showed that the number of older and middle-aged men prescribed the hormone has tripled since 2001.
Men in their 40s represent the fastest-growing group of users. About half of men prescribed testosterone had a diagnosis of hypogonadism, and roughly 40 percent had erectile or sɛҳuąƖ dysfunction. One third had a diagnosis of fatigue.
The medical group that sets clinical guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy, the Endocrine Society, recommends treatment only in men who have unequivocally low testosterone levels. That finding requires a blood test. But the new report found that a quarter of men did not have their levels tested before they received the hormone. It was also unclear what proportion of men who did undergo testing actually had results showing a deficiency.
Not long ago, there was a trend of women using estrogen during and following menopause, and while this was later found to contribute to some health risks, not once were women accused of “abusing” the female hormone. In fact, use of estrogen was widely praised and recommended in all sorts of media outlets.
But now that we have older men doing the equivalent, it constitutes a problem. This is because masculine characteristics, in our culture, are seen as inherently problematic, whether they be men’s sɛҳuąƖ preferences, personality characteristics or work habits. Testosterone is seen as a culprit in many of these masculine behaviors and proclivities, so it’s bad, right?
Estrogen, in the meanwhile, is a wonderful unicorns ‘n rainbows magic elixir that bestows nothing but good on earth, so women can pop as much as it as they want, and under Obamacare we all have to pay for it!
Another issue is this matter of health risks. While having teens and young men use testosterone on a widespread basis is probably unnecessary and may have harmful long-term effects (such as testicular problems and permanent hormonal imbalances), mature men, you’d think, can make up their own minds about what to put in their bodies. Even if it does have attendant health risks, is that a reason to limit these men’s choices? If a man decides that it really improves quality of life, is it our business if he incurs some risk by taking a medication?
I’ve never tried testosterone, but if I felt that I wanted to at some point I think that option ought to be available without exposing me to suspicion of “abuse.” If men’s hormones are to be highly restricted and and only given to men who are determined to “need” them, then the same should apply to female hormones. How many of the tens of millions of women on estrogen actually need it? Perhaps they could be considered to be abusing the hormone.
In short, this is a matter of discrimination against men, and there’s no reason middle-aged men should be scrutinized when they seek out prescriptions for androgenic hormones. Sure, doctors should tell them about the risks, and can refuse to prescribe it if the patient would be endangered, but in most cases the decision should be left up to the men themselves, just as women have the choice of taking their own synthetic equivalents on their own initiative.
And finally, it’s amazing that the Times has the chutzpah to cast aspersions on ordinary men’s use of T when it so happily endorses “gender reassignment” procedures for men, which require enormous doses of hormones in addition to risky surgery.
Topic: Mens Use of Testosterone Abuse, Womens use of Estrogen a Right (Read 1369 times)