It’s long been thought that higher levels of testosterone in men would lead to an increased risk of prostate cancer. This belief has led many men to accept the side effects of testosterone deficiency as an inevitable part of aging: weight gain, loss of muscle tone, lack of energy, and a decrease in sexual enjoyment. However, recent studies have shown that testosterone therapy is not associated with increases in prostate cancers or any other prostate illnesses.

Many studies have shown that severely limiting testosterone can cause prostate cancer to shrink temporarily. From that, physicians have concluded that raising testosterone levels would make prostate cancer grow. However, no evidence has been found that links testosterone treatment with prostate cancer. In fact, prostate cancer becomes most prevalent at the time in a man’s life when natural testosterone levels decline. In 2002, a study published in the International Journal of Andrology found that men who received testosterone therapy had decreased prostate size, lower PSA numbers and an improvement in urinary symptoms.

Per Dr. Eugene Shippen, author of The Testosterone Syndrome, “All organs of the male reproductive system, including the prostate, tend to stay healthy in the presence of adequate levels of key hormones, including testosterone. Normal concentrations of testosterone and its more powerful derivative may well be harbingers of prostatic health, not illness.”

Make sure you are doing your part to maintain good prostate health- have a digital rectal exam every year, have a blood test called the PSA yearly, and ask your doctor about testosterone therapy to alleviate symptoms of deficiency.