There’s no shortcut to good sex.
Despite a long-held theory among men that having more testosterone equates to a more robust sex drive, the proof of its impact on sexual performance is limp, according to new research.
There are more than 10 million men in the US living with erectile dysfunction — and many more who complain of suffering from a disproportionately low libido that is contributing to their sexless marriage.
When the pills, exercise and therapy don’t work, many desperate singles and spouses have turned to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to fix their lackluster sex lives.
TRT was designed as a treatment for men who are diagnosed with testosterone deficiency or hypogonadism. Regular artificial injections of testosterone are said to help patients improve libido, sexual function, fertility and mood.
On Reddit, some 178,000 users have joined the forum /r/Testosterone to read about and discuss the benefits and side effects of TRT. Meanwhile, in the subReddit, /r/DeadBedrooms — where 485,000 frustrated and disheartened users go to commiserate over their sexless relationships — countless TRT proponents espouse the life-changing treatment that sewed their broken hearts back together.
However, an international team of researchers led by the University of California, Santa Barbara has published a new study that uncovers the hairy truth behind testosterone’s role in sexual reproduction.
Unfortunately, they found no significant link between testosterone level fluctuations and male sex drive, particularly in long-term relationships.
The finding “argues against the usefulness of testosterone prescriptions for treating low sexual desire among men who have testosterone concentrations within the normal range,” researchers wrote.
The study included 41 men aged 18 to 26, either single or partnered, who had testosterone levels in the “normal” range. During the 31-day test period, participants submitted daily saliva samples and self-reported questionnaires about their sexual desires and dating efforts.
Their data showed that only single men produce higher testosterone on days they reported an interaction with a prospective partner, suggesting that the body is priming itself for a potential mate — and competition from other males. Previous animal research shows both birds and primates produce elevated levels of testosterone when in competition with other males.
However, husbands and boyfriends who had regular interactions with their wives and girlfriends during the test period demonstrated no such shifts in their testosterone levels, despite experiencing typical male urges.
“Testosterone and cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in single versus partnered men,” the researchers noted. Yet, they also observed “trends toward higher sexual desire among partnered men.”
Their analysis showed that partnered men have just as much, if not more, sexual desire than single men — and only need the standard dose of testosterone to heed it.
“These findings corroborate prior research in suggesting that men’s sexual desire requires only a threshold amount of baseline testosterone above which testosterone changes do not reliably affect desire,” researchers concluded.
