The Ultimate Guide to Male Hormones & Men’s Health

What happened in this episode?

Mel Robbins interviews Dr Michael Eisenberg, a Stanford urologist who leads the university’s male reproductive medicine and surgery programme, on testosterone, sexual function and male fertility. Eisenberg describes testosterone’s wide “normal” lab range and says levels typically peak in the 20s before declining gradually with age, with obesity, sleep disruption and chronic stress also affecting hormonal signalling.

He outlines symptoms that may prompt testing (including low libido, erectile dysfunction, mood and sleep changes), and discusses benefits and risks of testosterone therapy. Eisenberg says exogenous testosterone can suppress sperm production and notes it has been studied as a male contraceptive. He also warns that prescribing testosterone to men with normal levels is unlikely to improve performance or symptoms and may create avoidable side effects.

On safety, Eisenberg cites the 5,000-person TRAVERSE trial comparing testosterone with placebo, saying it did not show increased risks such as prostate cancer or cardiovascular events, and he claims the FDA will update warning labels accordingly.

The episode also covers erectile dysfunction as a common condition linked to cardiovascular risk factors, alongside treatment pathways from oral PDE5 inhibitors to urethral medications and injections. Eisenberg discusses observational findings on ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer risk, and argues male reproductive health should be evaluated alongside female factors in infertility, saying sperm counts are declining globally and that male factors contribute to around half of infertility cases.

What are the key points?

• Testosterone levels usually peak between ages 20 and 30 and then decline gradually; symptoms are often non-specific and require lab confirmation.
• Eisenberg says testosterone therapy can suppress sperm production and has been studied as a male contraceptive.
• He warns testosterone is unlikely to benefit men with normal baseline levels and may expose them to risks without clear upside.
• Eisenberg cites the TRAVERSE placebo-controlled trial and says it did not find higher rates of major adverse outcomes in treated men; he claims FDA labelling will be updated.
• Erectile dysfunction is common and can be a ‘check engine light’ for broader cardiovascular and metabolic health problems.
• He says male factors contribute to infertility in about half of affected couples, yet men are often not evaluated.
• Eisenberg says studies show sperm counts have declined globally, with debate about the pace but newer data suggesting acceleration.

Who is speaking?

Named speakers identified in Egleze's source-linked moments from this episode.

• Dr. Michael Eisenberg

Which topics are covered?

How is this page sourced?

Programme

The Mel Robbins Podcast

Published

8 October 2026

Duration

1h 9m

Original episode

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Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.