Married men have lower testosterone levels than those who remain single… and the stress of being a father could be the reason, research finds
- Researchers say data may reflect “stress from family life, including children.”
Men have long blamed their children for decreasing their bank balances, but not yet their testosterone levels.
However, research has found that married men have lower testosterone levels on average than men who remain single – and it’s possible that the stress of having a family is responsible for this.
Analysis of 11 scientific studies involving more than 25,000 men found that those who are married or in a relationship have lower average testosterone levels.
Interestingly, this was especially the case in the studies of middle-aged men, and to a lesser extent in older men.
Researchers who conducted the analysis say “this could reflect the stress of family life, including the children in the household.”
Research has shown that married men have lower testosterone levels on average than men who remain single
There is some evidence from previous research that experiencing stress can reduce the amount of testosterone men produce.
But this is only one possible explanation, as the analysis was not designed to determine whether fathers can blame their children for having less testosterone.
It’s unclear to what extent the modest drop in testosterone levels in married men, who still have normal levels of the hormone, might affect them.
However, it has previously been shown that men with abnormally low testosterone have a lower libido and are more prone to fatigue.
Dr. Bu Yeap from the University of Western Australia, who led the analysis, said: ‘An interesting finding was that married men, or men in an actual relationship, had slightly lower testosterone levels than single men.
“One possible explanation could be that married men with families are more stressed and therefore have lower testosterone levels, but our study was not designed to further investigate this result.”
In recent years, more attention has been paid to “male menopause,” in which men’s testosterone levels drop as they age.
The new analysis, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found no significant difference in mean testosterone concentrations in men ages 17 to 70.
But after men turned 70, their testosterone levels dropped on average.
Researchers wanted to look at lifestyle factors, such as being married or single, that can affect testosterone in addition to age.
They also found that men who did no more than 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week had lower testosterone on average than more active men.
Analysts say the findings may be related to higher stress levels experienced by people with families, but add that the study was not designed to look at this.
Testosterone levels were also lower in heavier weight men, based on body mass index (BMI).
Lower testosterone levels have previously been associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes and dementia, and a higher risk of premature death.
Testosterone levels were also found to be slightly lower in men who were former smokers compared to men who had never smoked, and in men with high blood pressure and a history of certain health problems, including cardiovascular disease.
The authors say these factors should be considered before men are told they have abnormally low testosterone.
Previous research has shown that men see a drop in their testosterone levels when they are expecting a child, and that the men whose testosterone plummets the most are more invested in their children and get more satisfaction from parenting.