If you are experiencing signs and symptoms that might be the result of a low testosterone level, consult your doctor. He or she can evaluate possible causes for the way you feel and explain treatment options.

You can’t boost your natural testosterone production, but these steps might help:

•  Be honest with your doctor. Work with your doctor to identify and treat any health issues that might be causing or contributing to your signs and symptoms — from medication side effects to erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices. Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Healthy lifestyle choices will help you maintain your strength, energy and lean muscle mass. Regular physical activity can even improve your mood and promote better sleep.
• Seek help if you feel down. Depression in men doesn’t always mean having the blues. Depression can cause men to suppress their feelings and become more aggressive or irritable. Men also might try to self-medicate by abusing alcohol or other substances.
• Be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supplements haven’t been proved safe and effective for aging-related low testosterone. Some supplements might even be dangerous. Long-term use of DHEA, for example, has no proven benefits and might increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Treating aging-related low testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy is controversial. For some men, testosterone therapy relieves bothersome signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. For others, however, the benefits aren’t clear and there are possible risks. Testosterone replacement therapy might increase the risk of heart attack, prostate cancer or other health problems. If you wonder whether testosterone treatments might be right for you, work with your doctor to weigh the pros and cons.