Androgens, such as testosterone, play important physiological roles in women as well as men. Androgens appear to have an important effect on women's energy and well-being. One Australian clinical trial of a transdermal testosterone patch developed specifically for women, showed that postmenopausal women had an improvement in overall well-being, particularly in relation to depression, increased energy, and improved libido.
One problem in this type of treatment, however, is that there is no accepted clinical definition of androgen deficiency in women. Therefore, most doctors are hesitant to perform this type of treatment.
Dr. Susan R. Davis, MBBS, PhD, of the Jean Hailes Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit organization, is involved in education about, research into, and treatment of women's health care issues, including the use of testosterone. She has stated that she would consider treating any woman with symptoms of deficiency (e.g., fatigue) whose free testosterone levels fall below the midpoint of the normal range.
Because testosterone levels decline with age, women in their later reproductive years may have lower levels of testosterone than younger women. By the time a woman has gone through menopause, her testosterone levels may be further depleted, especially if she is taking estrogen replacement therapy, since this can significantly reduce bioavailable testosterone.
Additionally, oral contraceptives also can greatly reduce levels of bioavailable testosterone, which may be the reason that some women on the pill report a loss of libido. Dr. Davis cautions that testosterone treatment should only be initiated after other causes of symptoms, such as depression or iron deficiency are ruled out.
Although some people mistakenly believe that testosterone increases risk of heart disease, Dr. Davis maintains that this is an unsubstantiated claim. In her studies, testosterone has some benefits and doesn’t appear to have risks. While adverse effects of testosterone in women, such as masculinization and fluid retention, are possible, these effects are unusual when hormone levels are maintained within normal physiological levels, which is why proper medical supervision is so important.
JAMA 2000; 283.
Dr. Mercola's Comments: It is important to check "free" hormone levels and not just total levels, since the free hormones are the only active ones. Saliva tests for hormone levels are also useful. Also, it is interesting that women going through menopause are usually given only estrogen and a progestin, but not testosterone. Since the ovaries are the main source of testosterone, as well as estrogen, menopausal women are just as likely to be deficient in testosterone as estrogen. The danger here is significant. There is no question that testosterone is beneficial, but it rarely is required if one addresses the underlying hormonal imbalances. Testosterone levels become imbalanced when the adrenals are not functioning well. Measuring testosterone, estrogen, cortisol and DHEA levels are a useful way to diagnose the problem. One can use serum levels but there are many practical problems. The most significant one is the timing. Ideally one needs to measure cortisol levels one hour after arising, immediately prior to bed and in the late morning and afternoon. This will provide a cortisol rhythm that will show how dysfunctional the adrenal glands really are. Collecting these timed samples in a routine clinical practice is virtually impossible. The solution is to use saliva collection kits which in fact do measure the free hormones quite well. Bio Health Diagnotics, (800-570-2000) is without question, in my estimation, and many others, the best company out there doing the testing. The lab is very cost effective and provides high quality service. It’s also interested in training physicians to understand how to interpret the results of the test so they can help patients improve their health. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Dr. Timmins, who is the head of the company. He has personally mentored me through much of the learning curve. The work has made a huge difference in my ability to address these issues. I have never found the need to use testosterone directly as DHEA and pregnenolone (the mother of all hormones) given in balanced sublingual treatments, along with lifestyle modifications which include addressing the stress issues, seems to work the majority of the time. Related Articles: Testosterone Can Help Female Sex Drive High Testosterone in Violent Women Share this article Previous Article Next Article Loading Please Wait Community Comments (0) Post Your Subcomment (2000 Characters only.) Characters remaining: * Please enter your comment! Edit Your Comment (2000 Characters only.) Characters remaining: * Please enter your comment! Comment deleted violating the aspect of our terms of use Thanks for sharing your feedback! If your feedback doesn't appear right away, please be patient as it may take a few minutes to publish - or longer if the blogger is moderating comments. Share this article Previous Article Next Article
It is important to check "free" hormone levels and not just total levels, since the free hormones are the only active ones. Saliva tests for hormone levels are also useful. Also, it is interesting that women going through menopause are usually given only estrogen and a progestin, but not testosterone. Since the ovaries are the main source of testosterone, as well as estrogen, menopausal women are just as likely to be deficient in testosterone as estrogen.
The danger here is significant. There is no question that testosterone is beneficial, but it rarely is required if one addresses the underlying hormonal imbalances. Testosterone levels become imbalanced when the adrenals are not functioning well. Measuring testosterone, estrogen, cortisol and DHEA levels are a useful way to diagnose the problem. One can use serum levels but there are many practical problems. The most significant one is the timing. Ideally one needs to measure cortisol levels one hour after arising, immediately prior to bed and in the late morning and afternoon. This will provide a cortisol rhythm that will show how dysfunctional the adrenal glands really are. Collecting these timed samples in a routine clinical practice is virtually impossible.
The solution is to use saliva collection kits which in fact do measure the free hormones quite well. Bio Health Diagnotics, (800-570-2000) is without question, in my estimation, and many others, the best company out there doing the testing. The lab is very cost effective and provides high quality service. It’s also interested in training physicians to understand how to interpret the results of the test so they can help patients improve their health. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Dr. Timmins, who is the head of the company. He has personally mentored me through much of the learning curve. The work has made a huge difference in my ability to address these issues.
I have never found the need to use testosterone directly as DHEA and pregnenolone (the mother of all hormones) given in balanced sublingual treatments, along with lifestyle modifications which include addressing the stress issues, seems to work the majority of the time.
Related Articles:
Testosterone Can Help Female Sex Drive High Testosterone in Violent Women
Testosterone Can Help Female Sex Drive
High Testosterone in Violent Women