Method and device for increasing testosterone production in a male

#The present invention is directed to methods and devices for stimulating the production of testosterone in a subject, and more particularly to methods and devices for stimulating the production of testosterone in a subject by applying a voltage to the subject's gonads.

#Testosterone is one of the hormones in men that spur the development of secondary sexual characteristics. Testosterone is produced by the testes in response to certain hormonal and nervous system stimulation. Testosterone production typically peaks in the late teens and early twenties and gradually declines with age. It has been estimated that one third of men over the age of 45 years of age have low testosterone levels.

#Normally, a male's total testosterone blood level is in the range of about 270 ng/dL to about 1070 ng/dL (about 9 nmol/L to about 38 nmol/L), with free testosterone blood levels falling in the range of about 50 pg/mL to about 210 pg/mL (about 174 pmol/L to about 729 pmol/L). Levels below these ranges indicate clinically low testosterone levels. Individuals having lower testosterone levels, but not low enough to result in a clinical diagnosis of a low testosterone level may also suffer from symptoms associated with the lower level.

#The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the embodiments of the invention.

#FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic front partial cut-away view showing an embodiment of the invention.

#FIG. 1B is a close up front view of a power source with operating controls in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

#With reference to FIG. 1A, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a device 10 for stimulating the endogenous production of testosterone in a male subject 12. The device 10 generally includes a first electrode 14 configured to contact the skin in the pubic region 16 of a subject 12 and a second electrode 18 configure to contact the skin of the scrotum 20 of the subject 12. The first and second electrodes 14, 18 are coupled to a power source 22, such as by a first electrically conducting wire 24 extending between the first electrode 14 and the power source 22, and a second electrically conducting wire 26 extending between the second electrode 18 and the power source 22. The power source 22 supplies voltage 28 to one of the first electrode 14 or the second electrode 18 such that at least some of the voltage 28 passes through the subject 12 to the other of the first or second electrodes 14, 18. In some embodiments, the device 10 may optionally further include an undergarment 30 configured to maintain the first electrode 14 in a position to contact the skin in the pubic region 16 of the subject 12 and to maintain the second electrode 18 in a position to contact the skin on the scrotum 20 of the subject 12.

#In one embodiment, the first electrode 14 delivers the voltage 28 from the power source 22 to the skin of the subject 12 and the second electrode 18 closes the circuit between the skin and the power source 22. In another embodiment, the second electrode 18 delivers the voltage 28 from the power source 22 to the skin of the subject 12 and the first electrode 14 closes the circuit between the skin and the power source 22. In some embodiments, the voltage 28 can be delivered to either of the first or second electrodes 14, 18, as desired such as with a manual switching circuit, an automatically switching circuit, by plugging the wires 24, 26 from the first and second electrodes 14, 18 into their respective opposite polarity contact points on the power source 22, or by moving the electrodes 14, 18 to contact the skin of the other desired location (i.e., moving an electrode that had been contacting the skin in the pubic region 16 to contact the skin on the scrotum 20 and vice versa).

#The device 10 may further include additional circuitry for controlling the voltage supply by the power source 22 to the first or second electrodes 14, 18. In one embodiment, the device 10 includes an on/off switch 34 configured to interrupt the voltage between the power source 22 and the first or second electrodes 14, 18 as shown in FIG. 1B.