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Five more Myths about Testosterone and Women

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Five more Myths about Testosterone and Women

We’ve already posted our Top 5 Myths about testosterone use in women, but, believe it or not, there is even more misinformation out there! Let’s dispel a few more untruths about testosterone replacement therapy for women.

Myth #1: Testosterone has adverse effects on the heart. We aren’t sure where this one came from. Perhaps because men have more testosterone than women and men are at greater risk of heart disease than women, someone drew a correlation where none exists. In reality, the exact opposite is true. There is substantial evidence that testosterone is cardiac protective. It has a positive effect on lean body mass, blood sugar metabolism, cardiac muscle, and lipid profiles in both men and women. It is even used to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease. For women with congestive heart failure, testosterone has been shown to improve muscle strength, insulin resistance, and functional capacity. You heard it here: healthy levels of testosterone are good for your heart!

Myth #2: Testosterone causes liver damage. Perhaps this myth arose after concerns of liver and kidney damage in men who took anabolic steroids and oral synthetic androgens. Testosterone patches and implants, unlike pellet hormone replacement therapy, pellets bypass the liver and have no adverse effects on the organ itself, liver enzymes, or clotting factors. We might also add that non-oral testosterone does not increase the risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis the way oral estrogens, androgens and synthetic progestins do.

Myth #3: Testosterone causes aggression. This completely unfounded myth couldn’t be more wrong. Although anabolic steroid use has been shown to increase aggression, this is not the case for testosterone therapy. Even large doses of subcutaneous (under the skin) testosterone therapy do not increase aggression. In fact, studies show that in 90% of women treated for symptoms of androgen deficiency, instances of anxiety, irritability and aggression all decreased with therapy. We’ve known this for a long time: androgen therapy has been used to treat PMS for more than 60 years.

Myth #4: Testosterone may increase the risk of breast cancer. This myth can be a little complicated to sort out because some past studies have noted an association between elevated androgen levels and breast cancer. However, methodological limitations and inconsistencies in these studies call them into question, as well as the fact that they do not account for elevated estradiol levels (excess testosterone can be converted by the body into estradiol, an estrogen associated with breast cancer). Clinical trials have confirmed that a healthy balance of testosterone and estradiol is breast protective. Testosterone therapy does not increase the risk of breast cancer and may actually lower it in women on estrogen therapy.

Myth #5: The safety of testosterone use in women has not been established. We’ve been accumulating data on testosterone use in women since 1938, when testosterone implants were first used in female patients. Long-term data confirms the safety, efficacy and tolerability of doses of up to 225 mg in women for up to 40 years of therapy. Additionally, data on higher doses of testosterone used in transgender “female to male” patients shows no increase in mortality or major health problems, including breast cancer or vascular disease. Testosterone is safe for women. Seven decades of data proves it.

For more myths about testosterone therapy and women, read our Top 5 Myths on Testosterone Use in Women.

Reference:

Glaser et al. Testosterone therapy in women: Myths and misconceptions. Maturitas (2013) 74:231-234

Top 5 Myths About Testosterone Use In Women

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Think testosterone is just for guys? Think again. Testosterone plays a crucial role in women’s health, too, and it’s not what you think. Women across the globe are discovering, with the help of SottoPelle® Therapy, a bioidentical hormone replacement, that testosterone therapy can ease their symptoms of menopause and improve their quality of life in more ways than one.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 myths about testosterone use and women.

  1. Myth #1: Testosterone is a “male” hormone. While we usually associate testosterone with men, the fact is that testosterone is an extremely important part of the hormonal system in both sexes. Testosterone is, in fact, the most abundant biologically active hormone in women! The androgen receptor for testosterone is actually found on the X chromosome. However, testosterone became a member of the “boys only” club, it isn’t based on science.
  2. Myth #2: In women, testosterone only helps with sex drive and libido. Yes, testosterone is the most abundant active sex steroid present in a woman throughout her lifespan, but that’s not where its influence ends. Functional androgen receptors (molecules that bind to testosterone and other androgens to perform specific functions for cells) are located in almost all tissues in the female body, including the breast, heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, lung, brain, spinal cord, nerves, bladder, uterus, ovaries, endocrine glands, vaginal tissue, skin, bone, muscle and more. This is why testosterone replacement therapy can help women not only with sexual issues, but also with bone loss, muscle loss, urinary complaints, breast pain, rheumatoid complaints, incontinence, and fatigue, just to name a few.
  3. Myth #3: Testosterone masculinizes women. Large doses of testosterone will create a masculinizing effect, as evidenced by hormone treatment for transgender persons. But low dose, individualized testosterone treatments, such as those used with SottoPelle® Therapy, a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, are designed to bring testosterone levels up to normal, not to exceed them. Any unwanted side effects can be reversed by lowering the dose. Some research has even shown that low doses of testosterone not only don’t masculinize women, they also produce a “feminizing effect.”
  4. Myth #4: Testosterone use will change your voice. Unfortunately, anecdotal reports have suggested that testosterone therapy can cause hoarseness or permanent vocal changes in women; however, studies have produced no conclusive evidence of this. The most common causes of hoarseness and voice change are allergies, laryngitis, reflux, voice over-use, mucosal tears, medications, and vocal cord polyps. Taking testosterone is not going to change your voice.
  5. Myth #5: Testosterone causes hair loss in women. This myth doesn’t make a lot of sense biologically speaking as men have higher levels of testosterone in their bodies than women, and yet they experience more hair loss. The fact is that many factors contribute to hair loss (including genetics), and approximately one third of women experience hair loss and hair thinning with normal aging. As aging coincides with a natural decline in testosterone, this may be where the myth developed. In truth, testosterone pellet therapy has been associated with scalp hair re-growth in many women, suggesting that instead of making women lose hair, raising testosterone back to healthy levels may help them to grow more of it.

Those aren’t all the myths associated with testosterone use in women, but they are some of the most common. Check back for more myths about testosterone therapy and women in our next blog post.

Reference:

Glaser et al. Testosterone therapy in women: Myths and misconceptions. Maturitas (2013) 74:231-234

Testosterone, Andropause and Men’s Health

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Testosterone, Andropause and Men’s Health

A man’s testosterone (T) is his most vital hormone. It impacts everything from muscles, brain and sex drive, to blood, arteries, organs and glands. Take it away and his well-being goes with it. That’s why low testosterone (Low T) can be so devastating.

Andropause: Every man begins a gradual drop in hormone production around age 30. He loses approximately one to two percent a year until sometime between 40 and 50 years of age, his T levels fall sharply and signify the beginning of andropause. By age 50, most men have lost over half of their T, which can have a major impact on their health. Lifestyle changes alone aren’t sufficient to address hormonal imbalances. Therefore, it’s important for men to be aware of early symptoms and start checking their hormone levels in their 40’s with a simple blood panel – before Low T strikes.

Symptoms: Fatigue, mood swings, poor mental focus, low stamina, sleep disturbances, memory loss, depression, erectile dysfunction, irritability, decreased sex drive, anxiety, bone loss, high cholesterol, loss of muscle mass, weight gain, belly fat, and decreased sense of well-being. Studies show a link between Low T and cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and osteoporosis.

Health Benefits: Enhances energy, well-being, memory, concentration, lean body mass, muscle strength, bone density, metabolism and sexual function. Relieves depression, anxiety and fatigue. Helps maintain a healthy supply of red blood cells, cardiovascular function and a normal lipid profile.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT): There are many different forms of TRT and it’s important to distinguish between the synthetic type found in most traditional hormone replacement therapies (HRT) and natural, plant-based compounds used in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).  Synthetic pills, patches, gels, drops, troches, creams and injections with generic doses often contain harmful chemicals and additives that can pose serious health risks. BHRT uses natural hormones whose molecular structure contains the exact biochemical structure as the human hormone, with no side effects.

The Power of Pellets®: Delivery is key to effective TRT. Studies show that hormone pellets – about the size of a grain of rice and slipped under the skin – provide the most effective delivery system because they are monitored naturally by the body’s own heart rate for 24-7 distribution exactly when needed. This approach can restore the body to its normal physiology. Pellets last on average 5 – 6 months for men.

Dosing: Pellets work best when they are precisely dosed and individualized for each patient’s specific needs. Safe and effective TRT involves: accurate testing and analysis; bioidentical hormones, proper dosage and round the clock delivery to sustain hormone levels. Restoring T to normal, physiologic levels. means customizing the dosage to the individual and monitoring patients on a regular basis.

Beyond Andropause: Parkinson’s & Traumatic Brain Injury: A number of retired NFL players have turned to SottoPelle® for relief from a variety of issues related to brain injuries. New studies show that Low T is related to neurodegenerative conditions such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), concussions, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s and dementia. Since the sex hormones are also closely related to cognitive and neuromuscular function, positive results are being reported in patients with PD, TBI and PTSD.

SottoPelle® has been diagnosing andropause and treating men with Low T for over 20 years. With founder, Gino Tutera MD, being the inventor of the patented BioCalc® method of pellet dosing, SottoPelle® remains the BHRT global leader. We understand the strain that Low T can put on a man’s energy, drive and quality of life and that your body needs a steady flow of testosterone that it may not always be able to produce by itself. We use only the purest pellets and quality plant-based compounds to deliver the right amount of testosterone your body requires exactly when it needs it. This can keep you going and feeling great! Reclaim your life with SottoPelle® — helping people live longer, stronger and healthier!

Bibliography

Cattabiani C, Basaria S, Ceda GP, et al. Relationship between Testosterone deficiency and Cardiovascular risk and Mortality in Adult Men. J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 Nov 8; [PubMed]

Leung-Wing Chu, Sidney Tam, Rachel LC Wong, Ping-Yiu Yik, Youqiang Song, Bernard MY Cheung, John E Morley, Karen SL Lam. Bioavailable testosterone predicts a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in older men. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2010; 21 (4).

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Farid Saad,1,* Antonio Aversa,2 Andrea M Isidori,2 and Louis J Gooren3. Testosterone as Potential Effective Therapy in Treatment of Obesity in Men with Testosterone Deficiency: A Review. Curr Diabetes Rev. Mar 2012; 8(2): 131-143.

Moffat SD, Zonderman AB,Metter EJ,Blackman MR,Harman SM, Resnick SM. Longitudinal assessment of serum free testosterone concentration predicts memory performance and cognitive status in elderly men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Nov;87(11):5001-7.

Gino Tutera and R. Don Gambrell Jr. Marked reduction of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer in users of bio-identical estradiol and testosterone subcutaneous pellets, Maturitas, 2009. Journal of Spanish Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and Longevity, Vol. 18, Sept. 2014, pp 27-33.

  1. Travison TG, Araujo AB, Kupelian V, O’Donnell AB, McKinlay JB. The relative contributions of aging, health, and lifestyle factors to serum testosterone decline in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:549
  2. Kapoor D, Goodwin E, Channer KS, Jones TH. Testosterone replacement therapy improves insulin resistance, glycaemic control, visceral adiposity and hypercholesterolaemia in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes. Eur J Endocrinol. 2006;154:899–906. [PubMed]
  3. Kenny AM, Fabregas G, Song C, Biskup B, Bellantonio S. Effects of testosterone on behavior, depression, and cognitive function in older men with mild cognitive loss. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2004;59:75–8. [PubMed]
  4. Marin P, Holmang S, Jonsson L, et al. The effects of testosterone treatment on body composition and metabolism in middle-aged obese men. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992;16:991–7. [PubMed]

Seidel B, Lewis T, Kucer B. The decision to provide testosterone supplementation in patients with traumatic brain injury. PM R. 2013 Nov;5(11):985-6.

Young TP, Hoaglin HM, Burke DT. The role of serum testosterone and TBI in the in-patient rehabilitation setting. Brain Inj. 2007 Jun;21(6):645-9.

  1. Emmelot-Vonk MH, Verhaar HJ, Nakhai Pour HR, et al. Effect of testosterone supplementation on functional mobility, cognition, and other parameters in older men: a randomized controlled trial. Jama. 2008;299:39–52. [PubMed]

Holland J, Bandelow S, Hogervorst E. Testosterone levels and cognition in elderly men: a review. Maturitas. 2011 Aug;69(4):322-37.

Menopause Awareness

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Let’s talk about Menopause.

Menopause is not a disease or a disorder, but a natural and normal part of aging.

Despite the increased access to information there still remains a lot of stigma and misinformation associated with menopause. This period in a woman’s life is often poorly portrayed in the media, and reinforces stereotypes and fear for many women.

The best thing a woman can do during this time is educate herself on the facts and know that she is not in this alone.

Menopause is different for everyone and can last a long time. The basis of menopause is when our hormones become imbalanced.  Like a finely tuned machine, when some of the settings are out of whack we can experience some symptoms of menopause.

Some are blatantly obvious, but other medical changes occur that impact our estrogen, ovaries, testosterone and progesterone. This can often result in mood swings changes in libido and irregular or cessation of periods.