Okay, you just had a couple of kids and you're really starting to feel the toll on your psyche. That lethargic feeling from the non-stop hustle of changing kid's clothes, never ending pile of dishes, doing the school runs, and coaching soccer. Oh, don't forget about your significant other, the Monday morning work meeting and all the other workplace performance metrics you are going to be measured by for your upcoming review. Well, according to one study*, if that scenario represents a fraction of your life, you may have experienced a significant drop in testosterone. The direct link isn't necessarily having children, but it is with how actively involved men are with daily parental duties.

The sample size of the study was 624 men. The original testosterone sample was taking from men that were 21 years of age. A second testosterone sample was taken again when those same men reached age 26. The study also noted that both samples were taken from the men in the morning, which is typically when the body's testosterone is at its peak. Segmentation of the group was based upon those that didn't have children, Fathers that had children, but were NOT actively involved, and those fathers who spent more than 3 hours a day with parental duties.

The data showed a strong causal link exists between high testosterone and mating success. However, with success in mating and having children, the largest drop in testosterone came from those fathers actively involved in parental activities (26%-34% reduction in testosterone compared to non-fathers)! One may hypothesize the reason for the decline is a nature vs nurture or as men move away from traditional hunter-gather roles to more nurturing roles of present day.

Get your levels checked and live a more balanced life!