Increasing testosterone levels does not increase sex drive

(english.elpais.com)

22 points | by belter 16 hours ago ago

26 comments

  • PrismCrystal 16 hours ago

    I wonder if that means that lower sex drive does not necessarily mean lower testosterone?

    This is not a purely theoretical question. I spend half the year traveling the world in ways that let me talk a lot with local people, and I am astounded by the number of young men in developing countries who venerate Andrew Tate and are frantic about physical access to women. As a somewhat older man, I can’t share their desperation and I wish I could communicate to them “Just wank it and then get back to doing something productive with your time”, yet I fear being accused of being a “low-T man”, which in that social-media world is an object of contempt.

    • hombre_fatal 16 hours ago

      Lack of access to sex (aka women aren't interested) tends to be an identity level failure to men, not just a temporarily feeling of horniness that goes away after a wank. Else the problem would be solved half a dozen times a day for these young men.

      Though, like the PUA forums of the early 2000s, I don't think Andrew Tate is going to be much help. But that's a separate issue.

    • TaylorAlexander 15 hours ago

      Certainly the ire of Andrew Tate fans should be thoroughly ignored. You can have whatever sex drive you want, and their contempt is childish and misguided. If you did want to try experiencing a higher sex drive, try edging daily for a week without getting off and see how you feel on day 7.

    • SirMaster 15 hours ago

      I’ve never had any sex drive my entire life and my T levels test normally. So I would say one doesn’t necessarily imply the other. Pretty sure it’s more complicated.

      • johnisgood 14 hours ago

        I need to do some research regarding asexuality. May I ask, what about you being romantic or intimate?

        • SirMaster 10 hours ago

          I like the idea of romance, but I’ve never been romantic or intimate with anyone yet. I do hope to experience that some day though.

    • 14 hours ago
      [deleted]
    • julianeon 15 hours ago

      But older men are "low-T" relative to younger men.

    • tayo42 15 hours ago

      > and I am astounded by the number of young men in developing countries who venerate Andrew Tate and are frantic about physical access to women. As a somewhat older man,

      Kind of curious which countries? I noticed this some countries where women rights seem restricted or theyre lower class, and religious. Indonesia and Morocco.

    • yyuugg 16 hours ago

      "If A (higher T) then not B (higher sex drive)" does not imply "If B then not A".

      But agree, these men have built a culture where they believe that's true. I think that they'd be better served by not obsessing so hard. Sex will happen, and it's easiest to get when you are chill, safe, approachable.

      And yet, these dudes feel the need to do toxic shit to themselves and others. It's a tragedy.

  • hu3 16 hours ago
  • LudwigNagasena 16 hours ago

    The subtitle literally contradicts the title.

    • Manuel_D 15 hours ago

      "...if there is no deficit to the hormone". It sounds like if someone has lower-than-normal testosterone then it increases sex drive. But if someone is already at normal levels of testosterone takes more, it doesn't significantly change sex drive.

    • petercooper 16 hours ago

      I assume it means moving up but still starting from within the normal range?

      Only one data point, but over the course of this year, I've gone from having the very lowest T level in the acceptable range to the upper half of the range and noticed very little except some increased assertiveness.

    • hombre_fatal 16 hours ago

      Well, getting T back to the normal range restores libido, but fluctuations inside this range don't seem to correlate with libido.

      • ndarray 15 hours ago

        Which would mean the headline is false for those with below normal testo levels.

  • 14 hours ago
    [deleted]
  • Madmallard 16 hours ago

    Can we please flag and remove obviously false posts like this?

    • chefandy 15 hours ago

      It’s an article discussing the results of a study. Who/what would you recommend as gatekeeper for discussing studies over the current crowd-sourced method?

    • wizzwizz4 15 hours ago

      I only have a basic understanding of endocrinology, but when I saw this headline, I thought "this is obviously true". Exhibit A: women.

      • kemitche 15 hours ago

        The article contradicts your exhibit A: "Additionally, women, who naturally produce much less testosterone, reported an increase in sex drive, when given testosterone supplements."

      • TaylorAlexander 15 hours ago

        Do you mean to suggest women have a lower sex drive? When I started taking estrogen and suppressing my T, my sex drive changed a lot but it didn’t reduce. It’s just more impacted by emotional factors like life stress and anxiety.

    • SalmonSnarker 14 hours ago

      There is a timeless beauty in a post that complains that a press release covering a confirmation of findings that are over 20 years old is "obviously false"

      Bhasin et al '01 tragically contradicts whatever bro podcaster mythology you were believing about testosterone Obviously Increasing sex drive. Which, if you read the article, you could have found and perused at your leisure!

  • aaron695 13 hours ago

    [dead]