Testosterone - Everything you need to know

What is testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone that your gonads (sex organs) mainly produce. More specifically, both testicles and ovaries produce testosterone.

Your adrenal glands also produce the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which your body transforms into testosterone and estrogen.

Testosterone is the main androgen, meaning it stimulates the development of male characteristics. Levels of testosterone are naturally much higher in males.

 

Is testosterone a steroid?

Natural testosterone is a steroid — an anabolic-androgenic steroid. "Anabolic" refers to muscle building, and "androgenic" refers to increased male sex characteristics.

However, when you hear people use the term “anabolic steroids” they are generally referring to synthetic (made in a lab) variations of testosterone that are injected into your body.

Healthcare providers use synthetic testosterone to treat and manage various medical conditions.

Synthetic testosterone is the main drug of masculinizing hormone therapy.

Some athletes and bodybuilders misuse synthetic testosterone (anabolic steroids) by taking very high doses of them in an attempt to boost performance or change their physical appearance. Misuse of these drugs can cause several unpleasant symptoms and lead to long-term dangerous health problems, including blood clots, stroke, and potentially increase the risk of prostate cancer.

 

What does testosterone do?

Testosterone has different roles in different life stages, including:

• Fetal development.
• Puberty for male children.
• Adulthood.

 

Testosterone and fetal development

At around week seven in utero, the sex-related gene on the Y chromosome initiates the development of the testicles in male infants. The testicles produce testosterone.

Testosterone triggers the development of the male internal and external reproductive organs during fetal development.

 

Testosterone and puberty

Testosterone is responsible for many of the changes seen in pubescent males, including:

• An increase in height.
• Body and pubic hair growth.
• Enlargement of their penis, testes and prostate gland.
• Increasing libido (sex drive).