I have experienced a gradual reduction in sex drive and more problems with erectile dysfunction. For instance, I no longer have morning erections, and I do not get erections without stimulating my penis... I no longer get erections from sexual thoughts. I came into contact with HIV less than three years ago. Is it common to experience a reduction in testosterone that would amount to such large changes (that I have noticed over the course of the last year)? Or, could this be attributable to something else, such as propecia, etc? Thanks

Declines in sexual desire and sexual performance are commonly related to psychological factors and may well be that your acquisition of HIV has preyed on your subconscious more than you have appreciated. Testosterone deficiency is an infrequent cause of these sorts of problems and can easily be checked as part of your routine blood tests. Replacement of testosterone to levels above the normal range do not help and is likely to suppress your own natural testosterone production. I am not aware that propecia is associated with erectile dysfunction (although men who lose their hair generally say it a sign of great virility and so getting hair back may be associated with loss of that bald virility!).

It may be worthwhile getting a referral to a psychologist or an expert in sexual dysfunction to investigate the problem further. Don't just rely on using pharmacological assistance (such as Viagra).

I hope this helps

Regards

Graeme Moyle