Men’s health · Decision prep

Testosterone for ‘low T’: what to nail down first

Before you pay for testosterone or push for it, this tool hands you the right questions — and the diagnostic bar Australia actually uses. It won’t tell you whether you have low testosterone. That’s a decision for you and your doctor, based on proper testing.

If this is an emergency, don’t use this tool — call 000 now. Chest pain or tightness, trouble breathing, signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech), or thoughts of harming yourself: call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department. Lifeline 13 11 14 (text 0477 13 11 14), any time.

What’s going on? Tell me how you’d say it to a mate.

Tell me a bit about how you’ve been feeling — even a few words is enough.

Have you had your testosterone tested?

Has anyone offered or recommended testosterone to you?

Pick any that apply.

Roughly your age range

Anything else going on?

Optional — sleep, stress, weight, alcohol, mood, other conditions or medicines.

Dr HB Lo · Integrative GP

Testosterone for ‘low T’ — what to take to your doctor · generated

Your testosterone conversation card drhblo.com/tools

In your words

The one thing to know

Why your symptoms don’t point at testosterone on their own

The same things, also explained by

(a general overlap — not a verdict on what’s causing yours)

What you describedAlso caused by (very common)

Many symptoms put down to ‘low T’ are common in normal ageing and in conditions that have nothing to do with testosterone — and a low level on its own, including the natural drop of about 1% a year as men age, isn’t the same as a deficiency (Healthy Male; Choosing Wisely AU / ESA).

The four questions to take in

BenefitsIf my testosterone really is low, how much would treatment actually change these symptoms — and how would we tell that apart from feeling better just from being looked after?
RisksWhat are the downsides and the things we’d have to monitor — fertility, blood thickness (haematocrit), prostate, heart — and how often?
AlternativesBefore treatment, what could be driving this that’s worth fixing first — sleep, weight, alcohol, mood, other medicines?
What needs confirming firstHave we done the proper work-up — two morning blood tests with LH and FSH — so we actually know what we’re treating?

The honest bit, both directions

Low testosterone is real, and treating a genuine deficiency can genuinely help — this isn’t ‘it’s all in your head.’ But the same tiredness, low drive and weight gain are also what ageing, broken sleep, stress and low mood feel like, and testosterone naturally drifts down about 1% a year as men age — which on its own is not a deficiency. That’s exactly why Australian specialists say not to start treatment on symptoms or a single borderline test alone (Healthy Male; Choosing Wisely AU — ESA).

For subsidised treatment, the bar is set deliberately high: the PBS authority criteria need a confirmed deficiency — serum testosterone below 6 nmol/L, or between 6 and 15 nmol/L with LH above 1.5× the upper reference limit — assessed through a specialist (Healthy Male clinical summary; Australian Prescriber). Those numbers are the bar specialists use — not something to measure yourself against from one result.

Email me the one-page card to take to my doctor

A clean one-pager: your questions, the proper testing checklist, and the honest evidence — so the conversation starts in the right place.

That doesn’t look like an email — mind checking?

Sent — check your inbox. Here’s your card again so you can screenshot it now.

This is the general version. The full men’s-health decision kit walks through your exact numbers once you’ve been tested, the monitoring schedule, and the questions for fertility and heart risk — plus the matching tool that turns ‘it’ll help’ into the real numbers. → See the kit

Want ‘it’ll help’ turned into the real numbers? Try the risk-numbers tool. Taking the testing checklist into your visit? Try the consult prep wizard.