Advertisement

Testosterone therapy -- no adverse effects

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22 (UPI) -- Testosterone therapy does not cause adverse effects on the prostate in older men with hypogonadism, or low testosterone, says a U.S. study.

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine found no evidence that testosterone replacement therapy negatively affects the prostate or its tissues in hypogonadal men following six months of treatment.

Advertisement

"Patients should be comforted by these results, but large-scale, long-term trials are still needed," said study co-investigator Dr. Leonard Marks, founding medical director of the Urological Sciences Research Foundation.

When testosterone is boosted, the effect on the prostate is a main concern in older men; however, this study showed that when serum testosterone levels are increased to the mid-normal level, the prostate effects are minimal at six months.

"The prostate appears to be buffered against rather wide fluctuations in serum testosterone levels," Marks told the American Urological Association annual meeting. "Still, all hypogonadal men considering testosterone therapy, especially older men, must be monitored closely by their physicians prior to and throughout treatment."

Latest Headlines