Testosterone Replacement Therapy Linked To Urinary Stones

Stones in your urinary tract are extremely painful. These hard masses can also cause infections, bleeding and even block the flow of urine. If they don’t pass by themselves surgery is essential.

Current facts suggest that 1 in 1,000 men in the US will be hospitalized because of urinary stones; every year. These stones are more common in middle age and older men.

The fact is that testosterone levels decline as men age. It is estimated that 25% of the male population has hypogonadism; where the testes have diminished productivity.

No study has suggested a link between serum testosterone levels and urinary stones. However, the number of men having Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) has increased in recent years.

This study looks at the potential link between TRT and urinary stones.

The Method

The study looked at 26,585 men, all aged between 40 and 64 and having TRT.

They matched these men with others of the same race, age and marital status which were not having TRT. This was to ensure there was a control group.

The data used was from the Military Health System Data Repository and covered a period of four years; from 2006 to 2010.

The records were then checked to see when these men first had urinary stones. The urinary stones were identified by clinical diagnosis in most cases, although at times surgery was necessary.

The Results

The study demonstrated that within 2 years each of the men on TRT was deemed to have an absolute risk of urinary stones.

659 men on TRT had stones within this time period, compared to just 482 from the group without TRT. Statistically this is a big difference.

Conclusion

It seems certain that men undertaking TRT are at increased risk of developing urinary stones. This needs to be investigated further to isolate the specific risk factor.

In the meantime doctors will need to carefully consider the risks before using TRT and potentially opting for safer options such as natural testosterone boosters.