Friday, Jul 25, 2008
Testosterone mania has seized the nation, along with bogus gender myths.
Apr 20, 2000 | April is turning out to be Testosterone Month, which is swell coming as it does on the heels of Women's History Month. Cover stories in the New York Times Magazine ("Why Men Are Different") and Time ("Are You Man Enough?") trumpeted the rising popularity of the hormone, which is fast becoming the new panacea for the ills of aging males.
Now that male baby boomers are beginning to close the long-standing life-span gap with women, they're demanding that doctors meet their desire for everlasting potency and youth. But amid all this hype -- from Andrew Sullivan's soul-searching quest to define masculinity to the brave new medical treatments -- there lurks a foolhardy notion which ignores much of science and a lot of common sense: Testosterone equals male essence.
More than 4 million men already receive prescriptions for low testosterone disorders caused by diseases (such as HIV-wasting), exposure to heavy metals, alcohol abuse, tumors, radiation or chemotherapy. Men with low levels of the hormone are routinely treated with testosterone to restore libido, lift depression, fight fatigue and strengthen bones. Until now, treatment has been limited to irritating dermal patches (sometimes attached to the scrotum) or painful intramuscular injections. But this summer the hormone will arrive in a user-friendly form called AndroGel, i.e. testosterone in a tube.
A huge potential market looms: Fifty million men in the United States are between 40 and 80; a full 20 million are in their 40s and 13.6 million are in their 50s. The constellation of symptoms associated with low testosterone levels -- declining energy, flagging sex drive, weaker bones -- sounds remarkably like ... well, aging. In that sense, the burgeoning testosterone fixation is a kind of declaration of war on the effects of a lengthening life span.
"The baby boom is going to turn 54 this summer," says Dr. Louann Brizendine, whose clinic at the University of California in San Francisco has been deluged with phone calls from men seeking testosterone treatments in recent weeks. "These men are very identified with their sexuality. They are used to being able to control their lives. And they expect to push right through this (next) phase of life with the same level of control."
Androgel's makers, Unimed Pharmaceuticals is counting on a big seller. The colorless compound that can be spread on the chest will be available only by prescription. But faster than you can say hypogonadism, we can expect a new wave of previously undiagnosed (or noticed) cases of low testosterone disorders once the topical T gel arrive at your corner pharmacy. That's not to mention the horde of teenage boys and younger men who will get their hands on black market testosterone -- as they do already with anabolic steroids
Some of the bolder advocates of testosterone are asking why easy-to-rub testosterone should be accessible only to the certifiably ill. "If you're a woman, and you're having a crying jag, they'll give you estrogen. If you're a guy and you ask for testosterone, you'll get turned in to the police," complains Tim Patterson, who publishes Testosterone magazine online. Nothing on the Web will make a middle-aged man squirm more than Patterson's site, which claims 7 million hits per month. Unless you visit, you can't imagine how many nose sprays, big horse pills and compound powders will be needed to restore your flagging confidence, aggressiveness, physical prowess and erotic ardor. Iconic models, on this site and a host of others, are hairless, blemish-free, bionic, with celestial light gleaming off polished bulges. Patterson says that he'd jump at the opportunity to market T "in a heartbeat."
Testosterone use carries significant risks, but don't imagine that this will dissuade the man in search of his inner stud. In this testosterone-saturated environment, potential hazards of treatment will receive short shrift even as doctors and manufacturers freely disclose them. Elevated risks of prostate cancer, cardiovascular trouble, sleep disorders and liver damage, among others, are all linked to testosterone. "This is not a tonic for what ails you. It's not a global treatment for depression or for people who feel they don't have enough energy," cautions Dr. Ronald Swerdloff, a UCLA medical professor who conducted tests on AndroGel.
Get Salon in your mailbox!