1. Regular Hormone Testing Prevents Symptoms
Managing hypogonadism requires getting regular blood tests to monitor hormone levels. Your child's hormone replacement therapy may need to be adjusted over time. Additionally, there are a number of side effects from hormone replacement therapy that your doctor needs to look out for. Depending on the severity of your child's condition and the treatment protocol, your child may need to take replacement hormones indefinitely.
2. Counseling to Manage Emotional Effects
No matter when hypogonadism occurs, it can cause emotional problems and problems within relationships. If your child is born with hypogonadism and has malformed genitalia, he may feel isolated from peers and can develop psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. For pre-teens going through puberty with hypogonadism, failure to mature in the same way as peers can cause feelings of low self-esteem and depression. When puberty is initiated through hormone replacement therapy, rapid physical changes can also be disconcerting. Psychological counseling is recommended to help children come to terms with abnormal genitalia and teenagers get through the difficult transition into adulthood. Your child may need counseling indefinitely.
When hypogonadism occurs later in life, the effects can be just as dramatic as when they occur at birth or in puberty. Often the most damaging symptom of adult hypogonadism is infertility. Some adults may not discover the condition until attempting to have a child. While there are fertility treatments for some types of hypogonadism, they are not always successful. Some forms of hypogonadism cannot be treated at all. Infertility can cause significant problems within a relationship as well as with an individual's feelings of self-esteem. The hormonal shift caused by the condition itself can also have effects on a person's mood and feelings. Counseling is also recommended for adults experiencing hypogonadism.
3. Support Groups for Hypogonadism
Support groups for those suffering from hypogonadism and parents of children with hypogonadism are available. These groups can help sufferers cope with the emotions caused by this condition through sharing experiences and feelings. If you can't find a hypogonadism support group in your area, consider online support groups. You may also be able to find support in groups dedicated to related conditions such as Klinefelter's syndrome, Kallman's syndrome and Turner's syndrome. Infertility support groups are also common nationwide and on the Internet.
