Testosterone is referred to as the "Other Hormone," and it
can add zest to menopause. Monthly surges of this androgen boost your
well-being, sense of personal power and sex drive. Other benefits derived
from testosterone are that it helps promote bone growth, and it can help
relieve mild depression, some vasomotor symptoms, and vaginal atrophy
and dryness.
Testosterone can be the "Impulsive Hormone," and there is a
parallel of information about it in men and women. Those with higher levels
are usually single, aggressive, and dominate and take risks, but these
impulses can be channeled and controlled in order to avoid problems. In
women a little bit can go a long way, as it enhances sexual desires and
fantasies, helps make women more easily sexually aroused, to enjoy intercourse
better and have more frequent orgasms.
If you have your ovaries removed or you are in natural menopause, your
testosterone levels drop by 1/3 or more, and it is definitely advisable
to replace it along with estrogen. As one author, Dr. Susan Rako, MD,
stated, "It is the Hormone of Desire." Besides the bone and
sexual benefits, it also acts on the brain, muscles, liver and blood vessels,
as it enhances cognitive functions.
The negatives of too high a dose of testosterone include susceptibility
to baldness, facial hair, acne or deepening of the voice. Dr. Elizabeth
Barrett-Connor, MD in San Diego says, "Definitely, one size does
not fit all and the testosterone should be tailored to each individual
according to needs." In therapy the goal is to reinstate what the
woman had before menopause, to bring her back to what she was and how
she felt.
Testosterone can be administered in sublingual tablets, as a single testosterone
dose or in combination with progesterone and estradiol. Forms and dosages
of testosterone supplementation include:
- The sublingual tablet is usually dissolved under
the tongue about 2 hours prior to bedtime
- A topical gel that gives a 24-hour even release
capability is applied to clean dry skin as 2. ml. per day
- A testosterone 2% thick gel is available to apply
a small amount (lentil pea size) to vulva area about 1 hour prior to
bedtime every day.
More About Testosterone:
A study to determine the effect of testosterone administration on physiological
and subjective sexual arousal in sexually functional women: Time
Course of Effects of Testosterone Administration on Sexual Arousal in
Women from the Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 57 No. 2, February
2000.
A comprehensive paper, Female
Sexual Dysfunction: Definition, Causes, and Potential Treatments, by Laura Berman Ph.D. and Jennifer Berman M.D., includes discussion of
testosterone as a potential treatment
return
to top
Read the transcripts of Susan Rako, M.D., author of The Hormone of Desire: The Truth About Testosterone, Sexuality, and Menopause
Read more questions and answers about natural hormones in the Ask The Pharmacist area of the site, or E.mail Pete Hueseman directly. A toll-free number is provided on the resources page.
Read More About Your Hormones