Understanding Hormone Testing and Replacement for Women with Dr Deborah Matthew

Understanding Hormone Testing and Replacement for Women with Dr Deborah Matthew

Every article is rigorously reviewed by medical experts to ensure accuracy. In perimenopause and menopause, testosterone pellets may be helpful in treating genitourinary syndrome of menopause, however the science on this is mixed and more research is needed. Although Australia has a 1 percent testosterone cream for women, the FDA has not approved a treatment or dose for women in the United States. Your provider should also monitor you for any physical changes that might signal problems.

This guide aims to provide clear and straightforward information to help you decide if testosterone therapy might be right for you. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved testosterone therapy for women. When prescribing testosterone replacement therapy for women, physicians aim to raise testosterone levels (macromicro.it) back into the normal premenopausal range.

When a doctor recommends testosterone therapy, they will discuss different ways the treatment can be given. These methods of administration are important to understand, as they affect how well the treatment works and how easy it is to use. First, your healthcare provider does a physical examination and talks to you about your symptoms and medical history.

It doesn’t mean that you have low hormone levels or that you’re in early menopause or any of that. The week after your period, your estrogen level goes up a tiny bit, but your progesterone level is still going to be low. And then around the two week mark, in the middle of your cycle, that’s when you ovulate, estrogen is going to spike way up. And it doesn’t mean that you have too much estrogen, it just means that you’re ovulating. And then once you’ve ovulated, your ovary is going to start to make progesterone in the little place that released the egg. And so after you ovulate, now you’re going to make a whole bunch of progesterone for the two weeks leading to your period.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Women, on the other hand, are recommended to take just 5 mg a day — 10% of the dose of a man. After two years of treatment, she says the results have been life-changing.

Most estrogen balance supplements are safe, but they can cause mild side effects like digestive issues or headaches. Always consult a healthcare provider, especially if you have hormone-sensitive conditions. Rhodiola Rosea is another adaptogenic herb that supports the body’s ability to manage stress. This herb enhances the body’s resilience to stress, reduces fatigue, and helps stabilize hormonal fluctuations, particularly during periods of high stress or during menopausal transition. Rhodiola Rosea helps regulate cortisol levels, which in turn helps stabilize estrogen. When estrogen levels are too high (estrogen dominance) or too low (estrogen deficiency), it can lead to significant health concerns.

Those can be… and breast tenderness, those can be symptoms that you have too much estrogen. But a really common thing that we see, especially in women over 35 is lower progesterone. And progesterone is the one that tells our uterine lining to stop growing so that it’s not so thick and therefore it keeps our periods from becoming too heavy.

4 That said, many reputable compounding pharmacies are FDA-inspected and follow strict sterility protocols. That doesn’t mean they’re inherently unsafe—many medications that aren’t FDA-approved provide valuable off-label benefits. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. “If testosterone really improved other things, I would be very happy to say it did,” she says.

Researchers are continuing to explore how testosterone can be used to improve women’s health, and the future of this therapy looks promising. However, it’s important to base your decision on well-researched information and to stay updated on any new findings that could impact your treatment. The results of testosterone therapy can begin to show within a few weeks but may take up to a year for the full benefits to be realized. By working closely with your healthcare provider, maintaining healthy lifestyle choices, and being patient, you can maximize the positive effects of testosterone therapy on your health.

(B) Clinical parameters determined by serum transaminases and IgG levels before and during testosterone therapy. (C) TNF- and IFN-γ–expressing CD4+ T cells in blood before and after 6M of GAHT. (D) UMAP reflecting 17,959 peripheral blood CD3+ T cells at baseline (BL) and 6M after GAHT showing 9 distinct T cell clusters (5 CD4+ and 4 predominantly CD8+).