While men often relate low sex drive and other andropause-like signs to low testosterone levels, recent news highlights low estrogen levels as a factor in 'guy problems'.

Men confiding to their physicians about possible low testosterone levels are often driven by testosterone booster advertisements in the pharmacological market. Nevertheless, experts can't completely place the blame on low Ts, since other components also work in the background, resulting in decreased energy and sexual function among men.

The New England Journal of Medicine published the latest research regarding low estrogen levels causing these issues. In the study, researchers tested for essential hormone types and levels present among healthier and younger guys with the goal of unraveling causes for hypogonadism among males. Hypogonadism signs include sexual dysfunction, low energy level, decreased libido, and fat accumulation.

Testosterone undergoes conversion process and produces an estrogen form called estradiol. This gave researchers an idea that other components found in males' hormonal mix aside from testosterone could induce hypogonadism signs.

The study was composed of men with good health status with age range from 20 to 50 years old. Hormonal balance was tweaked and tested to see their effects. Testosterone production was suppressed by subjecting the participants to goserelin, commercially as Zoladex, a testosterone-inhibiting drug. Testosterone replacements - either an actual replacement or placebo - were given in four levels starting at a minimal level to total testosterone substitution. Participants were separated into two groups, with one receiving a medication that prohibits testosterone-estradiol conversion while the other serving as the control group.

Through testing, experts were able to distinguish the symptoms caused by actual low testosterone levels and failed testosterone-estradiol conversion. To be more specific, the results also distinguished the testosterone level enough to induce symptoms like changes in the physique and body composition, low sex drive, and decreased energy.

Body fat accumulation and reduced sexual function were evident among men who received low than total testosterone replacement, but symptoms were more significant among those with low estradiol level.

On the other hand, test results showed that low testosterone level is the main cause of degrading body mass and leg strength since those who don't break testosterone to estrogen presented insignificant results.

With this test, it can be concluded that men's vitality is not only due to testosterone, but also because of estrogen, a hormone present among women, converted in their bodies.