Everything you didn't know about testosterone!
They have always said that testosterone is what differentiates us from women, right? And, although many people come to think so, we do not differ only around sexual life... Testosterone gives us much more life than you think... Pay attention to what I am going to tell you!
What is testosterone and what functions does it have?
Testosterone is the most important sex hormone in a man 's body (although women also have it at lower levels). In addition, although we think that this hormone is only important for our sexual life, the truth is that testosterone is vital for the general health of men, since apart from helping to create the differentiating characteristics of men and sexual desire , it also has many other functions .
The functions of testosterone are multiple and vary from when we are born until we become adults. In the prenatal stage , testosterone is the hormone responsible for the virilization of the fetus . During puberty , however, testosterone causes secondary male sexual characteristics to appear (as well as pubic and facial hair , deepening of the voice …) and initiates the process of sperm production . Finally, during adult life, testosterone is not only responsible for the sexual and reproductive function of men, but also helps regulate blood glucose or cholesterol .
When do we have higher testosterone levels?
It is not until preadolescence when our body begins to produce testosterone at higher levels. In addition, at puberty , full reproductive capacity is reached and that is why men generally develop all the male adult characteristics .
Puberty is a stage in our body that begins when the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in our brain secrete luteinizing and follicle -stimulating hormones . These are the hormones in charge of the testicles not only producing testosterone , but also sperm . At this stage, our testicles (and our adrenal glands ) also increase testosterone production , thus stimulating the maturation of the reproductive organs , both muscle and bone growth , and the appearance of public and facial hair , as well as voice change.
It is in our 20s that our testosterone levels are highest . However, testosterone levels in our body decrease over time; therefore, from the age of 30 our testosterone levels drop by 1% each year . In this way, a stage of many changes occurs for men , which is called andropause . (Women aren't the only ones who experience changes in their bodies with menopause, friend...) Still, you don't have to worry, since this drop in testosterone levels does n't become a problem if it doesn't drop. normal in men .
Do you want to know more about testosterone ? Discover how to increase testosterone levels in our body!
