Male Hormones: A Guide to Hormone Health for Men

Key Takeaways:

• Male hormones regulate bodily functioning. These chemical messengers influence energy, mood, muscle, fat, sexual health, and overall health.

• Your body makes dozens of hormones. A few common male hormones include LH, FSH, DHT, and DHEA.

• Hormonal imbalances can cause issues like low sex drive, erectile dysfunction (ED), fatigue, infertility, weight gain, or mood changes.

• A healthcare provider can order testing to identify and treat hormonal imbalances. Lifestyle shifts to better manage diet, sleep, exercise, and stress can often help regulate hormones.

Male hormones do more than regulate your sex drive and put hair on your chest. These chemical messengers play a central role in energy, mood, muscle strength, metabolism, and overall vitality.

While your body makes more than 50 hormones, this guide highlights the hormones most relevant to men’s health—the ones that shape how you feel, function, and age.

Keep reading to find out why male hormone health matters, signs you may have an imbalance, and how to restore your hormone health if so.

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are chemical messengers that the endocrine system releases into the bloodstream. Hormones help organs and bodily systems communicate by targeting specific tissues and telling them what to do.

Hormones regulate almost every major function in the body, from metabolism, growth, and sexual function to mood, energy, and behavior. They help keep the body in balance (homeostasis) by ensuring processes like blood sugar control, stress response, and reproduction run smoothly.

What Are Male Hormones?

Men and women secrete the same hormones — including estrogen and prolactin, among many others — but these same hormones circulate at different levels, in different physiological locations, and interact with the body in disparate ways.

For example, men produce steady daily amounts of testosterone (an androgen, or male sex hormone) primarily in the testes. The testes, adrenal glands, and peripheral tissues (like fat and liver) produce smaller amounts of estrogen and progesterone.

Women, on the other hand, produce more predominant amounts of estrogen and progesterone from the ovaries in a cyclical pattern. The ovaries and adrenal glands produce smaller amounts of testosterone.

These hormonal differences (among others) between men and women influence body fat distribution, muscle and bone maintenance, components of metabolism, and even the way the body processes medication.

In short, hormones are hugely influential for maintaining overall health.

“Hormone balance matters for men's health beyond just testosterone, because hormones play distinct roles in the male body, impacting things from metabolism and weight regulation, to stress, to bone health, heart health, sleep, and energy,” says Mike Bohl, MD, a general practitioner and Senior Director of Medical Content & Authority at Hims & Hers.

Below, learn about key common male hormones, what they do, and how to spot signs they are out of balance.

Testosterone

Testosterone is among the most widely known male hormones — and for good reason. It plays a key role in a number of bodily functions for men:

• The growth and development of the penis and testes

• Sperm production

• Sex drive (libido)

• Bone density

• Muscle size and strength

• Hair growth

• Red blood cell production

Testosterone gets a lot of fanfare around puberty, when levels surge to promote the development of secondary male characteristics like growth spurts, voice deepening, body hair, and skeletal muscle growth. But it bears mentioning that the first effects of testosterone actually occur much earlier: in utero to initiate the development of the prostate, penis, and testicles.

In blood, most testosterone binds to proteins—sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin. When testosterone is bound to proteins, the hormone remains inactive, like a storage reserve. Free testosterone and the loosely bound albumin fraction are considered bioavailable. Total testosterone, on the other hand, is the full amount of the hormone circulating in the bloodstream. This measurement includes bound and unbound testosterone.

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

If you have low testosterone levels (also known as male hypogonadism or testosterone deficiency), you may have symptoms like:

• Low sex drive

• Erectile dysfunction (ED)

• Low sperm count and quality

• Fatigue

• Brain fog

• Loss of body hair

• Decreased muscle mass

• Increased body fat

• Loss of bone density

• Testicular shrinkage

• Mood swings

• Memory trouble

• Reduced red blood cell count (anemia)

Symptoms of High Testosterone

High endogenous T is uncommon. It usually happens when you take exogenous androgens. If you have high levels of testosterone, you may experience:

• Weight gain

• Body odor changes

• Libido changes

• Depression

• Hair loss

• Acne

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

About 10 percent of testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with the help of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. DHT is a potent male sex hormone that plays a vital role in sexual development. This is largely due to its inability to convert to estrogen.

DHT helps differentiate the sexual differentiation of organs in a fetus. Throughout adolescence and adulthood, androgen promotes prostate growth, sebaceous gland activity, and hair growth.

In adults, DHT remains important for prostate and skin function and hair follicles. Higher DHT activity is linked to benign prostate enlargement and male-pattern baldness.

GnRH, LH, and FSH

Starting in puberty and spanning a male’s reproductive lifespan, the hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in pulses every one to three hours. This hormone helps to maintain testosterone levels and gonadal function. Here’s how that function works:

• A part of the brain called the hypothalamus secretes GnRH.

• GnRH signals the pituitary gland to increase luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

• LH sends messages to the Leydig cells in the testes to increase testosterone production.

• FSH signals the Sertoli cells to support sperm production.

When this system breaks down, numerous problems can arise:

• GnRH deficiency or irregular pulses. Isolated GnRH deficiency can cause reduced LH and FSH release, leading to low testosterone and impaired fertility. An example is Kallmann syndrome, where absent or reduced GnRH secretion causes delayed puberty or infertility.

• Low LH. Low LH can mean that your testes don’t receive the signal to produce enough testosterone, which can affect libido, erectile function, mood, energy, and body composition.

• Low FSH. Low FSH can disrupt sperm development, often resulting in low sperm counts and infertility.

• High LH and FSH. High levels of LH or FSH may point to testicular failure, where the brain is signaling normally, but the testes aren’t responding. This is a form of primary hypogonadism, seen in conditions like Klinefelter syndrome, where an extra X chromosome can lead to low testosterone, infertility, and elevated gonadotropin hormone levels.

Prolactin

Prolactin, a hormone that the pituitary gland secretes, plays a role in breastfeeding — but it matters for men, too.

In new fathers, prolactin levels rise after childbirth alongside a drop in testosterone. This hormonal shift may promote bonding with infants while lowering libido to encourage greater focus on caregiving, but evidence is mostly observational.

Beyond parenting, prolactin also influences sexual and male reproductive health. Imbalances may result from pituitary disorders, tumors, stress, certain medications, or chronic kidney disease.

Too much prolactin in males (hyperprolactinemia) can cause:

• Headaches

• Low libido

• Decreased sperm production

• Low testosterone

• Erectile dysfunction

Low prolactin has been linked in small studies to mood and sexual changes and possible metabolic risk, but evidence is limited and not definitive.

Estradiol

Estradiol, which is the predominant form of estrogen, plays a key role in male sexual function. In men, estradiol is essential for regulating libido, erectile function, and sperm production. Estrogen receptors, as well as aromatase — the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen — are found in the brain, testes, penis, and organs.

In a 2020 study of over 1,000 men with and without sexual concerns, estradiol levels correlated with certain sexual symptoms: higher estradiol with more ED and lower estradiol with delayed ejaculation. Also, men with premature ejaculation had higher testosterone. However, these are associations are not causal.

Cortisol

The adrenal gland produces cortisol, the primary stress hormone. But cortisol regulates more than stress. It’s also impactful for maintaining:

• Homeostasis in the brain, kidney, and intestines

• Blood pressure

• Blood glucose levels

• Reproductive system (can contribute to sterility)

• Immune system function

• Aspects of the male sexual response cycle, including erectile function

Long-term high cortisol, often due to chronic stress, is linked to issues such as:

• Bone and muscle breakdown

• Depression

• Fatigue

• Pain

• Memory impairment

• Inflammation

Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid gland makes T4 and T3, which help regulate energy use, temperature, and the function of organs like the brain, heart, and muscles. The pituitary releases TSH to control thyroid output.

If your thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism), you may experience:

• Excessive sweating

• Irritability

• Racing pulse

• Hand tremors

• Weight loss

• Hair loss

• Insomnia

• Changes in energy levels

• Pain behind the eyes

Symptoms of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) include:

• Feeling cold all the time

• Fatigue

• Dry skin

• Forgetfulness

• Depression

• Constipation

Insulin

The pancreas secretes insulin, which plays a major role in overall health. Insulin regulates blood sugar, aids in muscle growth, and influences metabolism. It also acts on the brain, heart, kidneys, skin, bones, and hair follicles, affecting everything from memory and cognition to vascular health and bone strength.

Insulin resistance and insulin deficiency can raise blood sugar and lead to diabetes and complications (nerve, kidney, and eye disease). Chronically high insulin is linked to obesity and inflammation and has been associated — with limited evidence — with higher risk of cognitive decline.

DHEA

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid prohormone that the body converts into androgens and estrogens. DHEA supports sexual function in both men and women.

Lower DHEA levels have been associated with erectile dysfunction and, in some studies of older men, with a higher risk of heart disease — but findings are mixed. Talk with a clinician before using DHEA supplements.

Growth Hormone (GH)

Growth hormone drives height in kids. In adults, it helps maintain muscle and bone density, regulates fat, sustains energy, and aids recovery. It also has meaningful effects on heart and metabolic resilience.

GH levels that are too low can lead to:

• Increased body fat and obesity

• Insulin resistance

• Impaired metabolism

• Decreased muscle mass

High GH levels can cause:

• Abnormal tissue growth

• Enlarged organs

• Joint problems

• Cardiovascular risk

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

If you suspect that your hormone levels are out of whack — due to changes in your mood, energy levels, sleep patterns, libido, or otherwise — consider talking to a healthcare provider about getting tested. Bloodwork or other diagnostic tools can help pinpoint the issue and guide treatment, which may include medical intervention, like supplements or medication.

That said, you don’t have to wait for lab results to start tweaking your lifestyle to support hormonal health. Small, consistent changes to your daily habits can go a long way toward balancing your hormones. These shifts won’t replace medical care, but they create a strong foundation while you explore more personalized solutions with your provider.

Here are some evidence-based habits that make a real difference:

• Lower your stress levels. Chronic stress raises cortisol, which can affect testosterone, thyroid hormones, and insulin. Try practicing mindfulness meditation and breathwork, talking to a mental health professional, or simply carving out some downtime to reduce stress.

• Get moving (but don’t overtrain). Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, boosts testosterone, and supports a balanced mood. Aim for regular strength training and cardio sessions, but make sure to squeeze in rest days to avoid the hormonal dips linked with overtraining.

• Revamp your diet. A balanced diet helps stabilize your blood sugar, supports thyroid function, and fuels testosterone production. Focus on eating whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to protect against hormone imbalances.

• Prioritize quality sleep. Deep, restorative sleep regulates everything from growth hormone and testosterone to cortisol and insulin. Practice good sleep hygiene by following a consistent sleep schedule, limiting screen time before bed, and creating a cool and dark sleep environment.

• Limit alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking lowers testosterone, raises estrogen, and disrupts sleep. Cutting back helps protect hormone balance, fertility, and long-term health.

A Final Word On Men’s Hormones

Men’s hormones do a lot more than regulate sex drive and reproduction. They help influence your energy, mood, metabolism, bones, and overall well-being. When they’re out of balance, the effects ripple across your whole body, which can lead to fatigue, low libido, weight gain, poor sleep, and more.

For hormones that are out of balance, lifestyle tweaks like improving sleep hygiene, lowering stress levels, and cutting back on alcohol can make a huge difference. If you suspect a hormonal imbalance, the next step is to talk to a healthcare provider and get tested. Bloodwork and other tests are available to help pinpoint what’s going on. From there, you can explore treatment options tailored to your needs.

What hormones do men have?

Men produce mostly the same hormones as women, including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, cortisol, insulin, and more — but in different amounts and patterns.

What is the most important hormone for men?

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, but other hormones, like thyroid hormones, cortisol, insulin, estradiol, growth hormone, and prolactin also play key roles in energy, metabolism, stress response, sexual function, and long-term health.

How do I know if I have a hormonal imbalance?

Your healthcare provider can order a blood test or use a different diagnostic tool to test your hormones. Symptoms like low sex drive, fatigue, mood changes, and weight gain can signal an imbalance.

Can lifestyle changes fix hormone problems?

Lifestyle changes — like following a healthy diet, prioritizing sleep, and exercising more — are good starting points for addressing hormone imbalances. Some imbalances may require medical treatment.

Do men need estrogen?

Yes. Estradiol, the main form of estrogen, plays a key role in libido, erectile function, sperm production, and bone health in men. Too much or too little can both cause issues.

How can low testosterone be treated?

After low T is confirmed by a healthcare provider, low testosterone treatments include testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like clomiphene or enclomiphene, and lifestyle changes. A provider can help decide what’s right based on your goals, especially if fertility is a concern.