Menopause for Men: What does low Oestrogen mean?

On the flip side, what if men do not have enough oestrogen? Oestrogen is required for the activation of testosterone receptors and, in the presence of very low oestrogen this triggers, a loss of testosterone receptors. This decline in the number of testosterone receptors can have a dramatic impact the body because testosterone will not have anywhere to bind and create action. In the same study referenced above, authors developed a testing method using various combinations of testosterone, oestrogen, anastrozole, and goserelin acetate and found that “oestrogen deficiency primarily accounted for increases in body fat, and both contributed to the decline in sexual function” (4). This data confirms that testosterone is not the only important player when it comes to men’s sexual and overall health. Another study shows cortical bone is depleted when oestrogen levels are low (5). This puts men at risk for osteoporosis. Once again, it is the balance of testosterone and oestrogen that is important! For a long time medical professionals have thought oestrogen is detrimental to a man’s well-being, but we now know that is not entirely true.

Men should test their hormone levels to detect and correct imbalances associated with symptoms. Testosterone and its metabolites and oestrogen metabolism are all reported on the male sex hormone pages of the DUTCH Test®. This allows practitioners to fully evaluate the androgens such as DHEA-S, testosterone, 5a-DHT, 5a and 5b-androstanediol, etiocholanolone, and androsterone. In addition, the three main oestrogens (oestrone, oestradiol, and oestriol) plus oestrogen metabolism will show if a male patient is oestrogen dominant or oestrogen deficient and how his oestrogen detoxification is working. Better patient outcomes can be achieved when evaluating these two hormone sections in tandem.