Testosterone may not be the cure to your ills

Here's a startling stat: Testosterone sales jumped 25 percent last year. If any guys out there are thinking about a testosterone patch, expecting a miracle treatment for their sex drive, softening muscles and a droopy you-know-what . . . hang on. While testosterone declines with aging, new research shows that few men experience the big changes that hormonal nosedives set off in women.

Vague symptoms (feeling bland, sagging energy) aren't enough to diagnose "late life hypogonadism," or what the average Joe calls male menopause. Researchers say that description fits only older men with low testosterone plus at least three sexual symptoms: erectile dysfunction, poor morning erection and low desire. After looking at 3,369 men, the study found only 2 percent of 40- to 79-year-olds qualified as having male menopause. And in another study, the only group benefiting from testosterone was those men whose shaving pattern had changed.

That doesn't mean a little testosterone isn't helpful if a deficiency causes problems; about 20 percent of erectile dysfunction cases are linked to low levels. Check your shaving frequency (has it decreased substantially?) or get a blood test for the hormone. Then have a heart-to-heart with your doc. Don't be shy about sexual specifics. Do get clear about testosterone's potential pros (besides improving your lust life): less lousy LDL cholesterol, less diabetes risk. And possible cons: increased baldness, fluid retention and weak links to prostate cancer and heart disease.