For informed conversations with your healthcare team. This guide is not personalised medical advice and has not been individually reviewed by a clinician.
Put fertility on the agenda early
A consultation about low energy, desire or testosterone should include whether you may want children. EAU guidance explains that testosterone therapy can suppress sperm production and should not be used to treat male infertility. Tell the clinician about present and future fertility plans before any prescription is agreed. This remains relevant even if parenthood feels distant or you have previously conceived. A clinic’s description of hormonal optimisation does not explain the implications for your own reproductive plans. Ask the specialist to connect the proposed treatment to a defined diagnosis and your wider priorities.
Ask how the diagnosis was established
Bring symptoms, previous blood results and details of any testosterone or anabolic steroid use. Ask whether the assessment supports testosterone deficiency and what further evaluation is needed to understand its cause. Do not assume that one result collected under unfamiliar circumstances settles the question. Request an explanation of reasonable alternatives when fertility matters and whether a reproductive specialist should be involved. If treatment is already underway, seek supervised advice rather than stopping it or adding other hormones yourself. The aim is a coordinated plan, not a self-directed attempt to correct one medicine with another.
Plan monitoring across countries
Before starting treatment abroad, ask who will provide ongoing review, tests and prescriptions when you return home. Confirm that a clinician has agreed to take responsibility rather than assuming a local service will automatically continue the regimen. Keep the diagnostic reasoning, laboratory results and treatment details together. If fertility preservation is discussed, clarify what is being offered, what it can and cannot secure, and who will explain the storage arrangements. A decision about hormones can extend well beyond a short visit, so evaluate the continuing care pathway with the same attention as the initial consultation.
Questions to take with you
- How could this treatment affect my current or future fertility?
- What evidence establishes the diagnosis and its cause?
- Who will monitor treatment and reproductive concerns after I return?
Sources & further reading
Further reading from the medical, regulatory and specialist organisations cited in this article.
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