Libido testosterone NEWS: Sexual dysfunction CURE increases risk of blood clots
TESTOSTERONE treatment is a popular go-to for men suffering sexual dysfunction.
An incredibly common condition, the NHS estimates erectile dysfunction impacts half of all men aged between 40 and 70 to some extent.
Many men turn to testosterone treatment in a bid to ward off the symptoms. But the therapy could do more harm than good, a new study has shown.
Men are 63 per cent more likely to develop blood clots in the legs and lungs in the six months after starting the treatment than they did before taking it, the research revealed.
The findings come from a team of scientists at the Institute for Epidemiology, Statistics and Informatics in Frankfurt, Germany.
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This observational study suggests an increased risk of venous thromboembolism soon after the start of testosterone use
Dr Carlos Martinez, who led the study, advised while the overall risk of a clot is low and diminishes over time, men should still discuss it with their doctors before embarking on the treatment.
He said: “This observational study suggests an increased risk of venous thromboembolism soon after the start of testosterone use…
“The risk declines after more than six months’ treatment.”
Researchers assert though the increased risks are temporary and still relatively low, a failure to investigate the timing and duration of the treatment use in the past could have hidden the association.
The study examined data on 19,000 patients with blood clots against over 900,000 men with a history of blood clots collected in the UK between 2001 and 2013.
Researchers divided the subjects treated with testosterone into three key groups: men in treatment, men who had recently taken the treatment but weren’t currently on testosterone, and men who had not taken treatment for at least two years.
The therapy plans were then divided into two durations, of more or less than six months.
Current users had a 25 per cent higher risk of clots compared with those who hadn’t used it, according to the study.
Testosterone: The facts
Testosterone therapy, which is designed to improve symptoms including low sex drive and erectile dysfunction, has been gaining popularity in recent years.
Treatment types span from injection-based therapy to self-applied gels and oral supplements.
Past studies of men taking the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have yielded positive results, showing improved sexual function and wellbeing.
But scientists have also found the treatment can trigger the production of hard deposits in blood vessel tissue.
