7 Signs and Symptoms of High Testosterone

7 Signs and Symptoms of High Testosterone

Worried about the side effects of high testosterone on your physical health? In this post, we’re sharing 7 signs and symptoms to know so you can take action.

High testosterone. Will it turn you into the incredible hulk? Not quite.

Having too much testosterone can alter your body, damage your health, and could even increase your chances of engaging in dangerous, risk-taking behavior.

If you’ve taken steps to increase your testosterone levels you might be worried that you’ve gone too far.

Even if you’ve never tried to alter your testosterone levels, conditions like hyperthyroidism can lead to too much testosterone.

Not sure how to recognize the problem? Don’t worry.

We’ve listed seven signs and symptoms of high testosterone levels below.

If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it’s definitely worth visiting your doctor for a chat about testosterone. If not, you’re probably fine – but it never hurts to get a medical opinion.

Read on for all the details on common signs of high testosterone.

1. Acne or skin problems

We’ve all heard about hormones causing pimples in teenagers, but it can happen at any stage of life.

Your skin contains sebaceous glands, which are responsible for producing sebum – a kind of natural oil that helps keep skin healthy.

When you have too much testosterone, excess sebum is produced.

This sebum can clog up pores, make your skin oily and shiny, and makes it much more likely that you’ll suffer from acne, spots, and inflamed skin.

If you’re struggling with acne, it’s definitely worth considering your testosterone levels.

Too much testosterone can cause skin problems in both men and women.

2. Increased facial hair growth

Why do men have beards, while women don’t?

The answer is testosterone.

It’s no coincidence that boys start to develop facial hair when they hit puberty – their bodies are suddenly flooded with the hormone.

High testosterone will increase the growth of both facial and body hair.

If you notice chest hair that wasn’t there before, or a new, thicker beard, there’s a good chance your hormones are the cause.

3. Deeper voice

We can use the same example as in the previous point here.

What happens to teenage boys when they hit puberty? Their voice breaks, usually becoming much deeper.

Testosterone elongates the vocal chords, altering the pitch of your voice.

If your voice didn’t break as a teenager, then noticing a significant change in your voice may be a sign of high testosterone. If your voice has already broken, the effects of increased testosterone may be less noticeable.

4. Increased sex drive

It’s well known that low levels of testosterone can reduce your libido, but what about high levels?

As you’d expect, high testosterone usually increases your sex drive.

Have you noticed any of the following signs recently?

• Increased desire to have sex
• Having sex more often than usual
• Increase masturbation
• Being more flirtatious than usual
• Issues like erectile dysfunction being resolved

If you have, then your testosterone levels may have increased.

Testosterone is essential for a healthy sex drive, but it’s important to make sure your levels stay within the normal range.

5. Higher levels of aggression

Testosterone doesn’t only affect the body – it can also alter the way your brain works.

It’s been shown that high levels of testosterone can increase aggression levels.

In one study, the brains of men who had been given testosterone had a more dramatic reaction to threats than men who hadn’t been given testosterone.

Have you been losing your temper more often than usual?

Perhaps you’ve gotten into a physical fight?

Or maybe you’ve found yourself raising your voice regularly?

High testosterone could be the cause of symptoms like this.

If you’re taking testosterone, it’s really important to monitor your moods and the way you’re behaving, not just the physical effects.

6. Ring finger length

This is a fun one.

Hold up your hand, and compare your ring finger and index finger.

Which is longer?

If it’s your ring finger, then you may have higher testosterone levels than average.

This can’t be altered since it’s affected by how much testosterone you were exposed to in the womb. However, it’s still a useful marker if you want to get an idea of your base testosterone levels.

For men who already have high levels, indicated by a longer ring finger, then trying to increase them further might not be necessary.

If your ring finger is shorter than your index finger, you might be low on testosterone.

This isn’t the most reliable method though, so be sure to get medical advice too.

7. Muscle gain and fat loss

If you’ve ever been to the gym, you’ve probably heard about how testosterone affects muscle gain.

Having high testosterone levels makes it easier for you to bulk up, and also makes it harder to gain fat. This can be an issue if you’re currently underweight, and can’t seem to eat enough to get to a healthy size.

Anabolic steroids are sometimes used to increase testosterone levels for the purpose of increasing muscle size – they’ll boost muscle growth even if you don’t do any exercise at all.

However, when used incorrectly, anabolic steroids do come with a variety of risks.

Abuse of anabolic steroids can cause a variety of serious mental and physical health problems.

Mental health problems caused by steroid abuse can include:

• Paranoia
• Increased irritability
• Poor judgement

Physical health problems include:

• Kidney failure
• Liver damage
• Increased blood pressure/enlarged heart
• Changes to cholesterol level

Men specifically may see these issues:

• Increased risk of prostate cancer
• Reduced sperm count
• Testicles shrinking
• Baldness

For women, steroid abuse can cause:

• Excess facial or body hair
• Deeper voice
• Disrupted menstrual cycle
• Baldness

So, while testosterone is important in staying fit and building muscle, using measures like steroids to increase your levels does carry risks.

What should you do if you think you have high testosterone?

Have you ticked off several of the items on this list?

If so, you might well have high testosterone levels.

Seeing a doctor for tests will confirm or deny your suspicion, allowing you to take the correct next step.

Your doctor might advise changing your diet to avoid foods that increase testosterone or discontinuing anything you’re currently taking to increase your testosterone levels.