Testosterone Replacement

Testosterone, the male sex hormone that is essential for sexual drive (in both men and women), can be implicated in approximately 5 percent of cases of erectile dysfunction, when there are unusually low levels of the hormone in the body. For men with low testosterone levels, treatment with replacement testosterone can help to restore erectile function.

The hormone can be delivered in several different ways. It is available in oral medication as a pill; it can be administered by injection into the buttocks; and it can be given through a patch that is worn on the arm, upper back, thigh, abdomen or scrotum.

The downside is that testosterone may increase the rate of growth of a small "occult," hidden cancer of the prostate, and turn it into a life threatening cancer. As a result, men using testosterone replacement therapy must be frequently monitored by their physicians, using special PSA tests and digital rectal exams of the prostate gland.

The use of testosterone replacement to improve erections is effective in about half the men who try it. Because of the possible side effects, the cost and the inconvenience, most men on this therapy will probably want to try Viagra if testosterone therapy fails.