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American Morning
Testosterone Therapy
Aired November 07, 2003 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Sanjay is out today. In our medical segment, though, testosterone replacement therapy. Millions of men are getting it.
Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, checks in now for this.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Bill, when we usually think about people doing hormone replacement therapy as they age, we usually think about women, but, in fact, hormones decrease with age for men, as well. Their testosterone can start to go down, starting in their mid 30s. And that's why some men take testosterone replacement therapy. There's a gel that some men rub on their skin. Other people do a patch. Other people take shots. There's the gel right there.
Here are the possible benefits. The possible benefits include an increase in libido, an increase in energy, and stronger muscles and sturdier bones.
Now the reason why we say possible here, is that there are not a lot of good, hard, scientific evidence that shows that these benefits are real. Also, there's not a lot of evidence about what kind of long-term effects there are, and that's why a government panel is studying both the risks and the benefits, and that report is due out in a couple of weeks -- Bill.
O'BRIEN: Elizabeth, take us through some of the concerns. What are they for men?
COHEN: Well, there are two big kelps. And one of them is prostate cancer. They're using testosterone replacement therapy can increase your risk of getting prostate cancer, and also that it can increase your risk of getting stroke. And there may be more risks out there. As I said, this just hasn't been studied very thoroughly. So there may be more out there that we just don't know.
O'BRIEN: What about hormonal changes between genders, men and women? Are there difference? You tell us what?
COHEN: Very big differences, Bill. For women, when they hit menopause at around 50, they get this sudden drop in hormones. It's very, very sudden, but for men, the drop is gradual. Testosterone peaks in the teenage years, and then starts to go down. And noticeable declines are seen starting in the mid 30s. So it's very different. Men might not notice it the same way that women do. But over the years, they might find a decrease in energy or increase in grumpiness, and some people attribute that to decreases in testosterone levels.
HEMMER: I just thought it was the 4:00 a.m. wake-up call.
COHEN: It could be that, too, Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Elizabeth. Have a good weekend.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 7, 2003 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Sanjay is out today. In our medical segment, though, testosterone replacement therapy. Millions of men are getting it.
Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, checks in now for this.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Bill, when we usually think about people doing hormone replacement therapy as they age, we usually think about women, but, in fact, hormones decrease with age for men, as well. Their testosterone can start to go down, starting in their mid 30s. And that's why some men take testosterone replacement therapy. There's a gel that some men rub on their skin. Other people do a patch. Other people take shots. There's the gel right there.
Here are the possible benefits. The possible benefits include an increase in libido, an increase in energy, and stronger muscles and sturdier bones.
Now the reason why we say possible here, is that there are not a lot of good, hard, scientific evidence that shows that these benefits are real. Also, there's not a lot of evidence about what kind of long-term effects there are, and that's why a government panel is studying both the risks and the benefits, and that report is due out in a couple of weeks -- Bill.
O'BRIEN: Elizabeth, take us through some of the concerns. What are they for men?
COHEN: Well, there are two big kelps. And one of them is prostate cancer. They're using testosterone replacement therapy can increase your risk of getting prostate cancer, and also that it can increase your risk of getting stroke. And there may be more risks out there. As I said, this just hasn't been studied very thoroughly. So there may be more out there that we just don't know.
O'BRIEN: What about hormonal changes between genders, men and women? Are there difference? You tell us what?
COHEN: Very big differences, Bill. For women, when they hit menopause at around 50, they get this sudden drop in hormones. It's very, very sudden, but for men, the drop is gradual. Testosterone peaks in the teenage years, and then starts to go down. And noticeable declines are seen starting in the mid 30s. So it's very different. Men might not notice it the same way that women do. But over the years, they might find a decrease in energy or increase in grumpiness, and some people attribute that to decreases in testosterone levels.
HEMMER: I just thought it was the 4:00 a.m. wake-up call.
COHEN: It could be that, too, Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Elizabeth. Have a good weekend.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
