Testosterone for Women

Testosterone is the male sex hormone, but, it is also an important sex hormone for women. A woman produces testosterone in her ovaries and adrenal glands and obviously produces a lot less than a man because women do not grow the muscles or facial and body hair characteristic of higher testosterone levels.

Girls begin to produce testosterone as they approach puberty for use as a precursor to estrogen. A woman will have peak testosterone levels in her mid-twenties and then suffer a steady decline to half those levels in her forties. In my practice, however, I frequently see some women in their thirties producing an insufficient amount of testosterone (especially after child birth).

Additionally, if a woman has a hysterectomy, testosterone levels can drop quickly and significantly.

Signs of testosterone deficiency in women:
1. Low or no sex drive
2. Lack of energy
3. Obesity, especially abdominal fat
4. Loss of muscle tone
5. Reduced bone mass
6. Increased fracture risk
7. Fatigue
8. Wrinkles
9. Hot flashes despite estrogen therapy

The importance of blood tests
Not all women in perimenopause or menopause will be testosterone deficient. Some of the symptoms listed above could be caused by other hormonal problems or health issues. This is why blood, saliva, or urine testing is so important and why self-medication with “testosterone enhancers” or Testosterone itself based on symptoms alone is dangerous.

We order a blood test for total testosterone, as well as free testosterone. While both levels are important to watch, we want to pay special attention to the “Free Testosterone” reading because it is the active hormone.

When a physician orders a total testosterone reading alone, it is possible to get back a “normal,” “within range” reading on a patient who exhibits clearly defined symptoms for testosterone deficiency. How is this possible?

Because most of the testosterone in the body is linked to proteins, the smaller remaining portion is “free” to make itself available to the cells of the body. Free Testosterone or the lack of it is most responsible for symptoms or alleviation of symptoms associated with testosterone. That is why monitoring its levels are so important in testosterone supplementation therapy.

Many scientific papers, some listed below, have cited the following benefits possible to women taking testosterone.

1. Increased sexual desire
2. Relief of menopausal symptoms
3. Reduction of bone loss / osteoporosis
4. Increased vitality
5. Reduced body fat
6. Improved skin tone by stimulating collagen growth
7. Enhanced “quality of life”

Testosterone supplementation risks
It is important to understand that not all women will benefit from Testosterone supplementation. The goals, realities, and risks of Testosterone supplementation should be discussed, at length, with your physician prior to onset of treatment.