Many people don’t realize what a large role hormones play in your well-being. There are many different types of hormones and each one controls a different function in your body. Some affect your mood, how hungry you are, body temperature, or when you feel sleepy. Testosterone is a type of hormone, in the androgen class, that is traditionally thought to only be important to men’s health. However, it actually plays an important role in women’s health as well. Women use testosterone to create a form of estrogen called estradiol. Some of testosterone’s most crucial functions in women are:
Cognitive Health
Have you felt more foggy than usual? Or Forgetful? Testosterone’s role in women’s cognitive health has become more apparent in the last 10 years. Many studies have shown that a healthy balanced ratio of hormones is important to mental functions, especially as you age. One such study in Australia found that postmenopausal women improved their verbal learning and memory after receiving testosterone treatment.
Libido
A decreased sex drive is also a classic sign of low testosterone levels. Testosterone and estradiol are the most important hormones in female reproduction, so it stands to reason that it may also be the most important in sexual arousal. It has been found that postmenopausal women participating in low dose testosterone combination therapy experienced a two-fold improvement in their libido than before treatment.
Structural Health
After 50, most people begin to lose muscle mass and gain fat mass in a process called Sarcopenia. This can cause your body to become weaker, and have less mobility, which in turn increases your risk for injuries. Testosterone therapy along with regular weight-bearing exercises can greatly help you to increase your muscle mass and more efficiently burn body fat.
Testosterone deficiency in women can cause a hormonal imbalance and lead to symptoms such as:
- The face being more wrinkled and droopy
- Decreased muscle tone
- Increase in belly fat
- Fatigue
- Decreased libido
- Problems sleeping
- Bone loss
Frequently, when people’s hormone levels decrease they turn to hormone replacement therapies. This drop is most common for women during menopause. One of these types of therapies is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BIHRT). BIHRT hormones are man-made and derived from natural plant estrogens, rather than from animals (like its synthetic counterpart). These hormones are chemically identical to what your body produces. The National American Menopause Society reports that over 1.4 million women are using some type of bioidentical hormone therapy. It also notes that BIHRT makes up 40% of all hormone prescriptions for women who are in menopause!
If you feel you may be experiencing symptoms of low testosterone and are ready to see improvements, BIHRT may be right for you. The first step is to schedule a free consultation and we will go over your symptoms and take a blood sample. Based on your results we will recommend how much testosterone you may need. Through a painless process, we will insert bioidentical hormone pellets (about the size of a grain of rice) into your hip or buttocks area. This method provides a slow and consistent release of hormones, similar to how your own body would function. In just a few short weeks you should start to notice improvements in your mood and a decrease in your symptoms.