Testosterone is not just for Men! Women need testosterone for vibrant health and wellness.
When you hear the word testosterone, most people think MALE. Some will perhaps think of transgendered people who use hormones like testosterone to change gender presentation.
Very few people will know that in FEMALES “testosterone is the most abundant sex hormone across a women’s lifespan and an important sex hormone for all genders.”
Women low in testosterone frequently experience:
| • mood disorders • cognitive decline • insomnia • breast and skeletal pain • fatigue • decreased energy | • low sex drive • loss of sexual satisfaction • incontinence • muscle loss • diminished endurance |
Most of these symptoms are misdiagnosed as depression, chronic fatigue, or considered “normal”.
Estrogen and testosterone have historically been placed into gendered boxes, but in fact, they are equally important sex hormones for both sexes, just in differing amounts. Biologically active testosterone receptors are located throughout the body in both sexes.
In women, testosterone receptors are found in:
| • uterus • breasts • blood vessels • ovaries • heart • digestive tract • muscles • lungs | • brain • spinal cord • nerves • bladder • skin • bone and bone marrow • fat cells |
This diversity of receptor locations illustrates the important role testosterone plays in a woman’s health. And yet, this important hormone is routinely ignored in women of all ages, especially women in their 30’s and 40’s, who exhibit these signs of testosterone deficiency.
Testosterone often starts to decline well before menopause, but too often goes ignored or untested until a woman reaches her 50’s and beyond. As early as 1937, Testosterone was used as a successful and important bio identical hormone replacement option for menopausal women; yet decades later, doctors still do not routinely address testosterone deficiency in women, nor do they even test for it ESPECIALLY IN YOUNGER WOMEN.
Symptoms are not enough to accurately assess hormonal balance. To have a clear picture of a women’s hormone health, the following must be assessed:
• Total Testosterone
• Free Testosterone
• Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
• Estradiol
• Total Estrogen
• Progesterone and DHEA
No hormone should be ignored based on presenting gender or sex, as it is the delicate interplay of hormones that creates vibrant wellness.
Call for a free screening appointment with a physician
At this free appointment, ask questions, discuss your concerns with a physician, and decide if testosterone therapy may be right for you. Call 207 774-1356.
References:
Transdermal testosterone therapy improves wellbeing, mood, and sexual function in premenopausal women. Goldstat, Rebecca MPH1; Briganti, Esther MD2; Tran, Jane MD1;Wolfe, Rory PhD2; Davis, Susan R. MD, PhD1 Menopause. September 2003 – Volume 10 – Issue 5 – pp 390-398
Testosterone therapy in women: Myths and misconceptions Rebecca Glasera,b,∗, Constantine Dimitrakakisc, Maturitas 74 (2013) 230– 234 Current perspectives on testosterone therapy for women. Susan Davis MB, Bs, FRAC-P, PhD., Sonia Davidson MB, Bs, FRAC-P, PhD. Menopausal Medicine. Volume 20, No. 2 — May 2012