I assume that most 50 year men who visit their doctors for an annual check-up get reminded that staying active is a good thing and a healthy dose of exercise brings a lot of benefits. One of those benefits is an increase in testosterone levels that can help men “feel young” again. Their are plenty of studies that have demonstrated the link between exercise and testosterone levels. One such study had a pretty clear conclusion on that matter:
“We have concluded that short-term, moderate intensity and low volume endurance training can significantly increase testosterone concentration in previously untrained men.”
Testosterone: “Free Viagra, nature’s gift to men!”
If you read this blog on a regular basis you know that I listen to my doctor and do plenty of exercise. So as my athletic ability skyrocketed over the last two years I kept wondering where my manhood was going. That’s when I came across an article on the Livestrong website that said:
“Cycling as little as 3 hours per week increases erectile dysfunction risk by 72 percent, a risk that grows with increased riding time, according to an article published in Psychology Today.”
I rode an average of ten hours per week last year. Look no further. I found where my manhood went.
I guess it is human nature not to address what could be a medical issue and just find excuses for not seeing a doctor: “Babe, I just rode 1,000 kilometers in eight days and I am a bit tired”; “I have a lot on my mind”; “I love you honey but I am stressed because of work” etc. etc. Heard that from your spouse? Said that to your spouse?
I am 49 and my wife is 52. We have a great relationship and I intend to keep it that way, so when Mary Lou started to think that my lack of performance in the bedroom somehow had something to do with her (not attracted to her anymore, bored to be with her…) I had to take action and that’s when I went to see my doctor. How can an otherwise healthy and active 49 year old man who is still attracted to his wife perform like an unhealthy 70 year old. A few blood tests later I walked into my doctors office for the results and that’s when he announced with a big smile on his face: “I have two good news for you: your sex life is about to get better and you are about to perform better on the bike.” He then. handed me a little piece of paper that allows me to “legally dope” and safely increase my libido.
Mary Lou recently wrote a university paper on masculinity and cycling. Reflecting back on it, it is interesting to note that it never crossed my mind to tell my wife to analyze cyclists’ masculinity traits both on and off the bike. One very interesting paragraph in her paper reads as follows: “While one may not initially think of skinny, spandex clad men with smoothly shaved legs as being particularly masculine compared to football players (also sporting tight tights), for example, my research established that the men who participate in this sport distinctly exhibited hegemonic masculine behaviour. (Underlined mine)”
In my case, I can say this is clearly the case. I am an aggressive rider, I like to attack, I like to push myself and others and I like to win. I can get up a hill really fast. The irony is that – according to my doctor – by expressing masculinity with extensive training and racing I ended up with decreased testosterone levels which led to my decreased masculinity where it actually matters.
When you test for testosterone level, the doctor will usually also prescribe other tests to try and find out the cause of the problem. All my results were normal, except for the testosterone level. So in my case, the only logical explanation for a lower than normal testosterone level is “intense training.” Thinking back to how I felt whenever I took time off the bike compared to when I was training, clearly there was a connection between being rested and my libido level.
I am writing this blog post this morning to simply tell the spouses of my riding buddies that if your husband sometimes seems to love his bike more than you then maybe all he needs is a small blood test and he will quickly show his love for you again.
Hi Alain,
You got balls to tackle such a sensitive topic, pun intended. Indeed, Erectile Dynsfunction (ED) is a normal process that aging men go through, but guys never talk about these things. Yes, we all wish to be able to keep it up for hours at a time, like when we were in our late teens and early 20ies.
Cycling however, exercabates the issue as a serious publication from the Journal of Sexual Medicine has published a review paper on the topic: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102446 Also, it is well recognized that testesterone deficiency can cause penile fibrosis leading to erectile dysnfunction.
Now training to become a practicing Naturopathe (ND) and having a PhD in Pharmacology since 1995, i wish to bring perspetive to this line of treatment as it would be tempting to have 40+ year/old riders rushing to see their doc for Androgel, to increase their performances in bed and on the saddle.
Testosterone replacement therapy definitively has its upsides but, as for HRT for women, can lead to issues down the road (see below).
Testesterone repacement therapy (TRT) will in men, result in reduction of fatty tissues, increase strengh and athletic performances, increase sexual desire and perhaps, in some men, help with ED. Many studies have demonstrated that treatment of ED is better performed with well known molecules such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Indeed, this is supported by the EAU guidelines on Male Sexual Dysfunction found here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23173727
Table 4 clearly indicate that PDE5 inhibitors (Viagra) are the first pharmacological line of treatment for men. Testesterone replacement should be used in patients not responding to PDE5 inhibitors.
Testesterone can also lead to androgenic alopecia (hair loss) but, we don’t care when we wear a helmet on our rides.. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16755026
Indeed, Testosterone is metabolised into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and androgenic alopecia is treated with finasteride, an inhibitor of the conversion of T into DHT.
Why am I telling you this? Especially in Quebec, doctors do not perform close follow up with their patients. Well, if the dose of blood testesterone is too high, it is well documented that high T levels lead to prostate hyperthrophy then to prostate cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22828207 (this is one article among many).
So, if you have low T because of cycling then, administer the right dose of Androgel, then you should be OK for in regards to this deadly side effect. This takes a tight follow up with your doctor to ensure that you are not overshooting your physiological targets.
However, if you miscalculate and maintain higher T for a while, this is likely lead to prosate cancer in a similar proportion that HRT for women leads to breast cancer.
Did you know that the first line of therapy for prostate cancer is to deprive the body of testosterone? Yup. That won’t help much for either cycling or in between sheets performances.
So, before riding down this road of pot holes, hoping to fly above without having to cater to a flat tire, perhaps slowing down to be able to steer away from the obsticles may be a prudent choice.
Things such as slowing down training, making concessions on bed and saddle performances, switching to Viagra like molecules and examining herbal remedies can be useful tools to help avoid falling off the bike down the road.
Luc
Wow, that was pretty comprehensive. Thanks for the input. Point well taken regarding the monitoring. I already have a follow up blood test scheduled for early May. You wrote: “perhaps slowing down to be able to steer away from the obsticles may be a prudent choice.” I think this is very wise advice. Alain
Hi Alain,
I wanted to provide you with an update to this post. Like most middle aged men, erection problems can occur, and this happened to me last summer and fall. When attending naturopathy classes, the professor told us about an extract that helps for men, including erectile dysnfunction. Sequoiadendron giganteum is a tree that comes from California and has properties directed for men. Last fall, I started to feel some symptoms of andropause, which included low energy, excessive sweating and weak erections.
After my naturopathy course, I went to Avril in Longueuil and ordered a bottle of Sequoiadendron giganteum, the 250 ml version. I felt everything coming back after 6 weeks. I took 2 ml each morning diluted in a small amount of water. Today, I feel much better & stronger. When I wrote the post above, I was starting the treatment so I didn’t want to comment on it before I felt results. Now I strongly believe that this product is worthwhile.
So, yes, herbal remedies work, but it is not like viagra that you see the results coming in the next 4 hours. These things take time, it’s like a physiologic reset that takes some time settle in.
I haven’t seen you on Mondays nor Thursdays with the VCL club. Hope to ride with you then.
Luc
Luc, thanks for the additional information. You haven’t seen me on the Club’s parents’ rides as both Alex and Gaby decided to put an early end to their cycling career. I will probably drop by sometime in the coming weeks. I just got my blood results back and my testosterone level is still low, although marginally. As expected my hematocrit has gone up – and quite a bit. It was 41 in March when I started taking T and it is now 48. Alain
I think its great that you have dealt with this personally for yourself!! Testosterone also affects all kinds of other hormonal loops in the body and as explained earlier by a person more knowledgable than myself, can create its own set of issues, not just the prostate , but men will retain water , all kinds of things get affected.you can have mood swings , get depressed, Blah blah blah. I think it is great that you have discovered this, but I would recommend that being the type of person you are, I would suggest some research to make yourself more expert in this area of hormone replacement and side effects. Doctors today have no idea how many receptors you have in your body and therefore the range for normal testosterone is very wide, ridiculously wide. So I guess, enough said it is vey important to educate yourself as you could do more harm than good. Moderation in everything… unless you are a professional athlete.. is the best approach and possibly cycling less and putting your energy into some sport that is not so disruptive to the ,male anatomy may be good as well! All this is so personal in one’s temperment and personality that it is a very hard thing to tackle . My Suggestion is be careful and good luck!!
Neil
Alain, Dave B forwarded on to me…you might also like to research the work of Dr Caldwell B Esselstyn Jr who advocates a plant based diet–including for athletes–and this is the diet I now follow myself. One of his points is that eating a high fat, animal protein-based diet is basically the pre-cursor for heart disease at some time down the road and blood vessels which are often the first indicators of this are the vessels in the pecker so to speak. I am 58 and to date I have no libido issues, and per my CTS training schedule, I run and ride my bike a lot. Good luck with this.
Only fruit and vegetables for me from now on!
Alain, what is your free testosterone level. I have the same issue and I’m checking on my vitamin D and iron levels..