Hormones
TRT — Testosterone Replacement Therapy
When testosterone deficiency is a genuine medical problem, what diagnosis and qualification for therapy look like, and what risks you need to knowingly accept — no marketing promises, no scare tactics.
What TRT is
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) involves administering pharmaceutical testosterone — as injections, gels, or patches — to people with lab-confirmed hypogonadism, i.e. a clinically significant deficiency of the hormone. It's not an "energy booster" or "muscle builder" for people with normal testosterone levels — it's treatment for a specific, diagnosed condition.
When diagnostics are worth considering
Symptoms suggestive of deficiency (low libido, chronic fatigue, loss of muscle mass, poor concentration) don't prove anything on their own — they're non-specific and can have many other causes. The starting point is a blood test for testosterone levels, ideally taken in the morning and repeated to confirm, interpreted together with the clinical picture by a physician.
Risks and side effects
TRT requires regular monitoring — the most commonly cited risks are erythrocytosis (excessive thickening of the blood), effects on fertility (external testosterone suppresses your own sperm production), and the need to monitor PSA and lipid profile. That's why TRT is managed exclusively by a physician, with regular follow-up tests — it's not a therapy to start or stop on your own.
What genuinely supports hormonal balance besides TRT
Sleep, reducing chronic stress, strength training, and maintaining a healthy body weight have a documented effect on testosterone levels — and are a sensible first step before considering hormone therapy. You can find more on the hormone itself and the factors that affect it in our entry on Testosterone in the knowledge base.
Related entries
TRT knowledge base
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about TRT
TRT is a physician-supervised hormone therapy using pharmaceutical testosterone (injections, gels, patches), used for a lab-confirmed deficiency. Supplements sold as "testosterone boosters" don't contain the hormone itself and have a much thinner, mostly early-stage evidence base — it's an entirely different category of intervention.
The starting point is a blood test (total testosterone, ideally taken in the morning, sometimes also free testosterone and SHBG) considered together with clinical symptoms — not a number in isolation. Diagnosis and eligibility for TRT are determined by a physician, usually an endocrinologist or andrologist.
Yes — it can affect fertility and blood thickness (erythrocytosis), among other things, and requires regular monitoring of blood count, PSA and lipid profile. That's why TRT is administered under a physician's supervision, not on your own.