TESTOSTERONE DOES NOT CURE IMPOTENCE

Report #6694 1/8/96

In evaluating impotence, doctors order a blood test for the male hormone, testosterone. A study in the recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that most of the time, giving testosterone does not help treat impotence.

Doctors evaluate impotence by drawing blood tests for cholesterol to check for arteriosclerosis, Hemoglobin A1C to check for diabetes, testosterone to check for lack of that male hormone, prolactin to check for a brain tumor and vitamin B12 to check for nerve damage. We used to think that psychological factors were frequent causes of impotence, but now we know that more than 85% of impotence is caused by damage to the arteries and nerves by arteriosclerosis and diabetes. A significant number of men who are impotent will have low blood levels of testosterone, but giving these men testosterone usually does not restore their potency. The brain produces a hormone called FSH that causes the testicles to make testosterone. The vast majority of impotent men who have low testosterone will have normal levels of the brain hormone, FSH, showing that their testicles are dead, rather than that their brain is not stimulating the testicles. This means that arteriosclerosis causes impotence, even in men who have low blood testosterone levels. So, the vast majority of impotent men should eat low-fat, high-fiber diets, avoid overweight, smoking and high blood pressure and start a controlled exercise program.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News