Testosterone is the male reproductive hormone. It is therefore related to power, aggression and sexual function. This is why most people have concluded that sex actually boosts testosterone in the human body. This has always been an extremely contentious issue in science, requiring multiple arguments from diverse evidence. In this paper, we’ll explore whether sex can cause higher testosterone levels.
First, let us understand the way testosterone is made and governed in the body. Testosterone is secreted chiefly from the testicles of men, and in smaller quantities in the ovaries and adrenal glands of women. Testosterone is produced by the brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary glands, which secrete hormones that prompt the testicles to secrete testosterone. Testosterone fluctuates throughout the day and is at its peak in the morning and lowest in the evening.
Studies
Part of the rationale for sex-boosting testosterone lies in the notion that ejaculation induces a testosterone release. This theory relies on a 2003 study by Dr George Bentley and colleagues, which found that male rats who were allowed to mate with females produced higher levels of testosterone than male rats who were not. But, the study has been criticised for its low sample size and absence of a control group. Moreover, the researchers measured testosterone only just after ejaculation, leaving no detailed picture of how sex changes testosterone levels over time.
In a separate study from 2016, Dr Andrea W M Evers and colleagues looked at the association between sex and testosterone in humans. These 122 subjects were given pre-, post- and post-sex testosterone tests. They discovered that there was no noticeable spike in testosterone before or after sex. These data imply that there is no relationship between sex and testosterone in humans.
But there’s also a strong hint that sex and testosterone are not as straightforward as we once thought. In a 2016 study, Dr David A Frederick and colleagues found that men with sex had often lower testosterone levels than men with less sex. This same research reported that sexier men were also deficient in the hormone oxytocin, a chemical involved in social attachment and attachment. This indicates there could be a trade-off between testosterone and other hormones in the body.
And there are other things that can impact testosterone besides sex.
1. Age
At around the age of 30, testosterone naturally drops as men age. According to the Mayo Clinic, testosterone levels decline by an average of 1% each year. Men often won’t notice much of a difference in their everyday routine, but dramatic drops in testosterone can bring on symptoms of low libido, fatigue and headaches.
Low testosterone in men can, on occasion, be associated with certain diseases as well. Hypogonadism is a state of deficient testosterone production from the testicles that might be responsible for more serious hormonal disorders. This is why men who experience a lot of symptoms should see a doctor, who will assess them for treatment.
2. Body Weight
Obesity is a factor that can affect testosterone in men. Obesity, particularly around the belly button, can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, which reduce testosterone production. In a recent paper published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers observed that overweight and obese men had lower testosterone than normal-weight men. Conversely, weight loss might boost testosterone – for example, in a study in the journal Obesity, a weight loss plan led to pronounced increases in testosterone in obese men.
3. Sleep
Sleep disturbances can even influence testosterone levels, a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown. The researchers concluded that five-hour sleepers were far less testosterone-rich than eight-hour sleepers. Sleep regulates testosterone in some way, but sleep is believed to control the hormones. And keeping testosterone levels balanced requires that you also sleep sanitically, having a regular sleeping schedule, and not watching electronics before going to bed.
4. Stress
Stress might cause low levels of testosterone, because the stress response in the body can deplete the hormone. Indeed, chronic stress can have tremendous effects on testosterone. This was demonstrated in a 2013 study in Psychoneuroendocrinology, which demonstrated that high-stress men had far lower testosterone than low-stress men. This means you have to regulate stress through meditation, exercise, and consulting a psychiatrist to keep testosterone levels high.
5. Medication
Some medications may affect testosterone levels as well. For instance, opioid painkillers, corticosteroids and antidepressants all suppress testosterone levels. In contrast, testosterone replacement therapy (to combat low testosterone) can boost testosterone. But it is a risky treatment, and should only be undertaken with the advice of a healthcare practitioner.
Conclusion:
Simply put, the science currently does not lend credence to the idea that sex raises testosterone. While some researchers believe that testosterone increases slightly after ejaculation, the entire relationship between sex and testosterone is still far from clear. Keep in mind, though, that testosterone is sensitive to a whole variety of influences, and that sex may not be a main testosterone contributor. Sex and testosterone are entangled in a web that requires further research.
