Reproductive & Growth
Male Hypogonadism & Andrology
Low testosterone, gynaecomastia, erectile dysfunction and male infertility — assessed properly, because testosterone should be replaced when it is genuinely deficient and not otherwise.
Symptoms that bring people in
- Loss of libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Persistent fatigue and low mood
- Loss of muscle bulk and strength
- Breast enlargement or tenderness
- Reduced facial or body hair
- Small testes, or difficulty fathering a child
- Hot flushes
Having one of these does not mean you have this condition — several overlap with far more common problems. It means the question is worth asking properly.
Testosterone deficiency causes symptoms that overlap heavily with stress, poor sleep, depression, obesity and uncontrolled diabetes — which is exactly why it is both under-diagnosed in men who have it and over-treated in men who do not.
Diagnosis
Testosterone must be measured in the early morning, fasting, and on at least two separate occasions, since a single low value is often not reproducible. LH and FSH then separate a testicular cause from a pituitary or hypothalamic one, and prolactin, iron studies, thyroid function and a check for obstructive sleep apnoea are added as indicated. Where the picture suggests it, karyotyping and pituitary imaging follow. Obesity and poorly controlled diabetes both lower testosterone, and treating them often raises it without any hormone being prescribed.
Treatment
Where deficiency is genuine, testosterone replacement improves libido, energy, mood, muscle mass and bone density. It is not, however, a tonic: prescribed inappropriately it suppresses sperm production, can worsen sleep apnoea, raises the red cell count and requires ongoing monitoring of haematocrit and prostate health. Men who wish to father a child in the near future need a different approach entirely — testosterone is contraceptive, and fertility treatment uses gonadotropins instead.
Gynaecomastia
True breast tissue enlargement in men is common in adolescence and usually resolves. In adults it warrants assessment for drug causes, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, hypogonadism and, rarely, hormone-secreting tumours.
Male infertility
Assessed with semen analysis alongside hormonal evaluation, examination for varicocele and obstruction, and genetic testing where the sperm count is very low. Endocrine causes are a minority of male infertility but are among the most treatable, so they are worth excluding early.
This page is general information. Doses and treatment choices in endocrinology are individual, and are decided at a consultation with your reports in front of us. Please do not start, stop or change a medicine based on this page.
Common questions
Before your first visit
How do I book an appointment?
Use the appointment form on this website and the clinic will telephone you to confirm a time, usually within one working day. For a same-day or urgent request, please ring the number in the page header instead — a phone call is always faster than a form.
Hospital OPDs at CMRI and Narayana Memorial are booked through the hospital's own reception. For district chambers, it is worth calling the chamber number listed on its page before travelling.
Which chamber should I choose?
Whichever is easiest for you to reach and return to. Endocrine conditions need review over months and years rather than a single visit, so the chamber you can get to comfortably every few months is nearly always the better choice than the one that seems most impressive.
That said: if your problem needs same-day tests, an ultrasound, or admission, a hospital OPD is the better setting. The Chambers page lists every location with its days and timings, and the weekly timetable shows them all side by side.
Do chamber timings ever change?
Yes — and this is worth taking seriously if you are travelling any distance. Several district visits run on a monthly rotation, such as the 1st and 3rd Saturday, and a hospital OPD can be rescheduled at short notice. Timings shown on this website are kept up to date and any known cancellation appears on the chamber's page, but please telephone ahead before a long journey.
What should I bring to the first consultation?
Bring everything you have, even if it seems old or irrelevant:
- all previous prescriptions, including from other doctors
- every blood report and scan you hold, in date order if possible
- the actual strips or boxes of the medicines you take, or a written list with doses
- your home blood sugar or blood pressure diary, if you keep one
- for a child, the growth chart and immunisation record
Old reports are genuinely useful. A five-year-old thyroid result or an earlier scan often changes the plan, because what matters in endocrinology is frequently the trend rather than today's number.
Consultation
Request an appointment
Tell us which chamber suits you and when. We will confirm your slot by phone.