I am 56. Within the last year on my yearly physical, I indicated to my doctor that I wanted to have my T-levels checked, because I noticed my erections had reduced in size and firmness as well as a reduction in the volume of my ejaculate.
My doctor had my levels tested and it was indeed low. 5.8 pg/mL (Range 7.2 - 24.0). I have been on Axiron now for 9 or so months. There is great improvement in my erections, but my volume is still small and my testicles have shrunk somewhat. They do not hang anymore, they have come closer to my body and the size has reduced.
My concerns are; would I have to take T - treatment for the rest of my life and to know of similar situations anyone may have.
Hello, I've been on Androgel for 3 years now; T levels back to normal. Doctor told me expect to be on it rest of my life(insurance willing!!) ; Androgel literature states levels will start to fall in as little as one week after stopping. Testicle size, ejaculate volume, and,unfortunately, libido, all stayed about the same. But I'm 62,so maybe was expecting too much.
I'm not trying to be condescending, and I'm not old enough for it to be a personal concern yet, so my opinion may change then, but I tend not to like pharmaceutical options for relatively minor problems like this and especially not before trying some simpler solutions first.
There are dietary and nutritional things that you might consider for balancing your hormones more naturally. Like lower the fat in your diet. Plant oils and especially the proteins from oilier plants tend to be estrogenic (anti-testosterone). Soy is especially well known to be bad here, but all the oilseed plants are estrogenic (including flax and canola). Or you might just get in better shape, because muscle makes T too (and in a way that's not testicle shrinking).
One thing I've found makes a huge difference for me is sunlight. If I'm ever feeling un-hormonal, it's usually just because I haven't been getting enough sunlight (which pretty much only happens in the winter).
Another thing, semen volume isn't very important ultimately, but you might also be confused about what semen is (most people are). Semen is mostly a product of the seminal vesicles and prostate (90-99%). Only the tiny remaining part is what comes from the testes. So don't worry that the lower volume of semen is from shrinking testes. It's just from less productive seminal vesicles.
Side effects of Testosterone 
