Testosterone is thought of as a man’s hormone, but this is ridiculous. It is every bit as important for a woman.
While women do have about 10 times less testosterone than men, the facts are that women have three times as much testosterone coursing through their body as they do estrogen. All this attention is paid to estrogen, as well as progesterone, for women. These are important but not to the exclusion of testosterone.
Age-related decline of testosterone around menopause and even before menopause is quite common.
Women also need the other androgens, such as DHEA and even DHT too.
The Benefits of Testosterone for Women
Here are 15 potential benefits of testosterone and other androgens for women:
- Bone Health: Testosterone plays a role in maintaining bone density. It can help in preventing osteoporosis or bone thinning in postmenopausal women.
- Muscle Mass: Testosterone can aid in increasing lean muscle mass, which in turn can boost metabolism and support overall physical strength.
- Fat Distribution: It can help in reducing body fat, especially in the abdominal area, which is linked to cardiovascular risks.
- Libido: Testosterone is linked to sexual arousal and libido. Women who experience a decrease in sexual desire might benefit from testosterone therapy. (The medical establishment generally only advocates for testosterone use in women for this one dysfunction, hypoactive sexual desire disorder.)
- Mood and Well-being: Improvements in mood, well-being, and energy levels are all associated with ideal testosterone levels.
- Cognitive Health: Testosterone is active in the brain. Preliminary research suggests that testosterone might have a protective effect against cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Vaginal Health: Testosterone can enhance tissue health in the vagina and reduce symptoms of vaginal atrophy, which can be a problem after menopause.
- Breast Health: Some studies suggest that testosterone might have a protective effect against breast cancer as breast tissues are rich in androgen receptors.
- Skin Health: Testosterone can increase skin thickness and decrease wrinkles, contributing to a more youthful appearance.
- Hair Growth: While excessive testosterone can lead to hair thinning on the scalp, a balanced level can support healthy hair growth.
- Pain Management: Some women report reduced chronic pain symptoms, such as in fibromyalgia, with testosterone supplementation.
- Cardiovascular Health: There’s evidence that testosterone might have a protective effect on the heart and cardiovascular system.
- Blood Sugar Regulation: Testosterone can enhance insulin sensitivity, which can help in managing blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Red Blood Cell Production: Testosterone stimulates the production of red blood cells, which can aid in improving anemia.
- Improved Sleep: Some women find that testosterone helps them achieve deeper and more restful sleep.
What is the Ideal Testosterone Level for Women?
The actual answer is we have no clue since this doesn’t get the research it deserves.
One review states, “At present, there are no well-accepted reference ranges for serum testosterone concentrations in women.”
“Serum testosterone concentrations exhibited an age-related decline, whereas SHBG remained relatively stable across studied age ranges…The estimated 5th and 95th percentiles for a 30-year-old woman were:”
- Total Testosterone: 15-46 ng/dL
- Free testosterone: 1.2-6.4 pg/mL
Different units are sometimes used. 15-46 ng/dL is equal to 520-1595 pmol/L or 0.52-1.596 nmol/L. If you need to make conversions for your blood test here’s a handy calculator.
Another study found that 18-40 year old women had a range of:
- Total Testosterone: 15-78 ng/dL
- Free testosterone: 0.8-10.6 pg/mL
So here we see a larger range, but this does include younger women too. (Which hints exactly at that idea that testosterone is falling for women with age too.)
But note that these are references ranges for what is considered normal. It does not include ideal.
Dr. Kathy Maupin, a doctor who treats women by giving testosterone pellets says her ideal numbers for women regardless of age are:
- Total Testosterone: 30-60 ng/dL
- Free Testosterone: 10+ pg/mL
Can Testosterone Be Too High in Women?
Of course. Water is good for you. Necessary for hydration and everything health. And yet you can drink too much water to the point of killing yourself.
Thus, as with all things there can be too much testosterone. (Similar to how men need estrogen but can also have too much and become estrogen dominant.)
Supraphysiological levels, aka bodybuilder amounts, for women can likely lead to issues acne and oily skin, scalp hair thinning, enlarged clitoris, deepening of the voice, menstrual changes, infertility, and hirsutism (growth of thick, dark hair in areas where women typically have fine hair or no hair at all, such as the face, chest, and back.)
High testosterone levels are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as well.
But you must understand that these are different than ideal levels of this important hormone. Please don’t let those scare you off. Go back to the list of fifteen benefits and ask if you could use more of those in your life.
What Lowers Testosterone?
While I believe that time itself is not toxic, there is a build-up of such toxins and the wearing out of tissues that occurs over time that is behind the age-related decline of hormones.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) may be the biggest culprit. Phthalates, used to make plastics soft, were found to be associated with 10.8% to 24% decline in testosterone levels in women aged 40-60 in one large study.
This is just one class of EDC’s, that you can find out more about here.
Another study found women with high levels of EDC’s experienced menopause 1.9 to 3.8 years earlier than women with lower levels of these pollutants. “EDC-exposed women were up to 6 times more likely to be menopausal than non-exposed women.” That’s a pretty chilling find when you understand what it means for health.
Birth control tends to lower testosterone. A systematic review found “The current literature review and meta-analysis demonstrates that [combined oral contraceptives] decrease circulating levels of total T and free T and increase SBHG concentrations.”
As do other medications, such as cholesterol lowering drugs, antidepressants and some antihypertensives.
A lack of resistance training of any sort is also going to contribute.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Women
Testosterone pellets are starting to be more widely recommended and used. Among affluent and health-conscious women in their older years you’ll hear about this more commonly.
I’ll share just one study on using testosterone pellets in 300 pre- and post-menopausal women. After three months there was improvement on EVERY point of the 11 items in the Menopause Rating Scale which looks like this:
Scoring is as follows:
- No, little (0–4)
- Mild (5–8)
- Moderate (9–16)
- Severe (17+)
The results read, “Pre-menopausal and post-menopausal females reported similar hormone deficiency symptoms. Both groups demonstrated similar improvement in total score, as well as psychological, somatic and urogenital subscale scores with testosterone therapy. Better effect was noted in women with more severe complaints. Higher doses of testosterone correlated with greater improvement in symptoms.”
So obviously this is a useful tool and something to be aware about. However, at Lost Empire Herbs we like to stick to more natural approaches first.
Which Herbs Can Help?
Several of our herbs have great reputations for restoring testosterone for men…and they can do exactly the same for women.
- Pine Pollen works great for many women. The powder is generally recommended for women, as it’s said the hormones won’t survive the digestive tract, yet it still exerts hormonal effects.
- Initially, the Pine Pollen Tincture was not recommended for women, but some have used it anyway with great results. Start with a low dose, just a couple drops and then work up to maybe half a dropper two times a day.
- Tongkat Ali is another option that works well for some women.
There’s much more covered in the followup article: Testosterone Boosting Herbs for Women
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Linda Jessop says
Please give more details on testosterone for women Post menopause
Thanks Lin da