Q. My husband takes testosterone injections to gain muscle at the gym. Will that be detrimental to our plans to have a baby? Will the injections hurt our chance of conceiving a child? Or will the increased levels of testosterone make the sperm even better?
A. Testosterone injections could make it difficult to conceive. Although this male hormone is crucial for male sexual development, it has been tested as a contraceptive in men. Sperm production is dramatically reduced in most men who use testosterone.
Q. My mother-in-law has a Jacuzzi bathtub that she really enjoys and uses several times per week. She has had several urinary tract infections. Could the Jacuzzi be the cause of these infections?
I am also concerned that if there are bacteria in the pipes, she might inhale bacteria in the mist from the tub. Is there any way to thoroughly disinfect the tub to eliminate bacteria?
A. Whirlpool bathtubs can be quite relaxing, but the issue of contamination is a bit controversial. Dirty water may be retained in the pipes after the tub is emptied, allowing bacteria or fungi to flourish. We cannot say whether this is the cause of your mother-in-law’s cystitis, but cases of urinary tract infections and skin reactions from whirlpools have been reported.
One manufacturer recommends that pipes be flushed regularly (every three to six months) to clean them. To do this, the tub is filled with cold water and half a cup of bleach. The jets are run for five minutes and turned off and the tub is drained. Refill the tub with clean cold water and rinse the pipes out by running the jets a few more minutes.
Bleach is an inexpensive household disinfectant, so we hope this will help solve the problem. We have seen no studies proving this procedure is effective, however.
Q. I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition and put on Armour thyroid at age 8. At 45, my TSH reading was too high and I was referred to a top-notch endocrinologist.
He was horrified that I had been taking dried animal thyroid and put me on Synthroid. He said the body makes T3 (whatever that is) from it.
Within a month I had gained more than 10 pounds, had no energy and felt so depressed I was nearly suicidal. The endocrinologist said these problems had nothing to do with the medicine, but I begged my family doctor to put me back on Armour. Within a week I felt normal again. It took a while to lose the weight, but I am convinced that natural thyroid actually saved my life. Can you explain this?
A. Our bodies need two forms of thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) to function well. A healthy thyroid gland produces both of them, but the body can also turn T4 into T3. People with inadequate T3 may feel tired and depressed.
We have heard from others who don’t respond as well to Synthroid (T4 alone) as they do to dried thyroid (which contains both T3 and T4). Some doctors prescribe a combination for such patients. Those doing well on Synthroid get no extra benefit from adding T3 (JAMA Dec. 10, 2003).
We discuss T3, T4 and the controversy surrounding the best treatment in our Guide to Thyroid Hormones. Anyone who would like a copy may send $3 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. T-4, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
The People's Perspective on Medicine