It is no secret that sexual prowess is highly sought after, especially as we grow older. The intense demand for sex hormone boosting therapies reflects this in the growing number of products that aim to boost the level of testosterone among men, and estrogen among women. The premise of my article is to understand the context of a testosterone gel being marketed by Abbott (ABT). Abbott’s Androgel is a million dollar testosterone gel popular with aging men who are trying to find a quick fix for reduced sex drive, weight gain, fatigue and depression.

While it is true that testosterone can mitigate some of these problems, the results are not conclusive and the risks of using such a gel can more than outweigh the benefits. Androgel’s website has a quiz targeted at men who may have sexual difficulties. It poses obvious questions that will invariably yield affirmative answers. Yet, those 10 questions are the same used to diagnose whether men have testosterone levels which are low enough to warrant the use of testosterone gel or require a visit to an endocrinologist.

Testosterone replacement therapy is highly debated and it is not clear whether middle-aged men need to be treated for what might be normal levels of male hormone given their respective ages. By convincing men to purchase testosterone gels and use them as needed, the pharmaceutical industry in general is sending a very wrong signal about how much it cares for people’s health and safety. To continue reading, click here.