As a woman going through menopause, your hormones are likely to be fluctuating wildly. It's these undulating levels of hormones that cause many menopause symptoms. One of the hormones affected during menopause is testosterone. Although testosterone occurs in lower levels in women than in men, it still has a vital role in the correct regulation of the female body. Low levels of testosterone can cause unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Read on to learn about the importance of testosterone to women.
Testosterone and You
It's not just big, chiseled men who have testosterone coursing through their bodies. You need it too; in fact all women need it. In a woman, testosterone is produced in the ovaries. Testosterone in a woman helps to regulate your sex drive and cognitive abilities, and helps to keep you looking youthful by maintaining your muscle tone.
During menopause, your ovarian function decreases, causing a drop in testosterone production. Low testosterone levels in a woman can have dramatic negative effects. If your levels of testosterone drop, it can cause you to experience brittle hair, dry skin, and loss of muscle mass and tone. You may also experience a loss of libido. Read on to learn about how HRT may help to combat these symptoms of reduced testosterone.
How to Combat Low Levels of Testosterone
Low levels of testosterone can have detrimental effects on your body. To combat this, you may want to consider making lifestyle changes and trying alternative therapy methods to treat the problem. If these are not effective at correcting your hormonal imbalance, you may be looking into the possibility of trying HRT, which can be used to boost your levels of testosterone. Patients receiving HRT can have testosterone administered to them in a variety of different ways. Testosterone HRT is generally administered through one of the following methods:
- Subcutaneous pellets
- Injection
- Gels
- Patches
However, while treatment may seem simple, testosterone replacement comes with risks of its own. Keep reading to learn more about the potential risks and side effects of testosterone hormone replacement therapy.
The Dangers of Taking Testosterone
Studies have shown that older women taking testosterone have an increased risk of developing heart disease. Women taking testosterone may also develop some male characteristics, such as increased growth of body hair, acne/oily skin, male-pattern baldness, feelings of aggression, and deepening of the voice.
Although HRT may help to relieve you of some symptoms of menopause by boosting your testosterone levels, you should be very cautious about going ahead with any treatment, and of course, consult a relevant health professional before doing so. You may also want to consider lifestyle changes or herbal treatments that could help you combat your menopause symptoms.
