Provider Hormone Therapy Training:
Testosterone Replacement & Hair Loss in Women
Most women and their physicians associate hormone therapy with replacement of estrogen that has declined due to perimenopause or menopause. But women, as well as men, also often experience a decline in testosterone as they age. This androgen deficiency in women can contribute to fatigue, decreased sex drive, hot flashes, decreased muscle strength, changes in cognition and mood and insomnia, and more. However, many physicians are less familiar with the dosing of male hormones in female patients. As a result, testosterone replacement in women is sometimes avoided by doctors when it could provide substantial improvements in female patients’ health. In other cases, testosterone issues in women are misdiagnosed or improperly treated. And in many cases, outdated medical knowledge or unfounded myths about testosterone therapy exacerbate the problem.
SottoPelle is a world leader in physician hormone therapy training. We have trained thousands of doctors in the use of subdermal bioidentical hormone replacement pellets. The SottoPelle Method is more than learning how to insert hormone pellets. Our hormone therapy training includes the “who, what, and why” of pellet therapy, especially dosing and ongoing management.
An essential component of provider hormone therapy training is remaining on the cutting edge of clinical research in the field of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) – including both female and male hormones. Certified SottoPelle trained hormone therapy providers have access to an extensive library of the latest and most advanced BHRT research.
In this article, the hormone therapy training experts at SottoPelle share some revelatory research on the side effects of prescribing testosterone replacement therapy for women.
Hormones and Female Hair Loss
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in women is commonly prescribed to address conditions such as low libido, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, and mood disturbances, which can be attributed to declining testosterone levels, especially during perimenopause and post-menopause. Additionally, testosterone plays a crucial role in preserving bone density and muscle mass, contributing to overall strength and vitality. By restoring testosterone levels to a more optimal range, TRT in women aims to improve not only sexual health and energy levels but also support broader aspects of physical and emotional well-being.
However, testosterone also plays an integral role in hair growth and hair loss in women as well as men. Therefore, it is essential that hormone therapy providers be sensitive to both the positive and negative effects of various hormone replacement modalities on women’s hair growth.
The frequency of female hair loss increases with age. Studies of Caucasian women in the U.K. and United States report reduced hair density of 3 to 6% in women aged under 30 years, increasing to 29 to 42% in women 70 years old. The most common diagnostic cause is Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL).
And, androgens – specifically testosterone – have long been thought to have an adverse effect on female scalp, causing hair loss. As a result, traditional hormone therapy training has sometimes eschewed the use of testosterone replacement in women in favor of avoiding hair loss.
And because thinning hair in women is an issue that is very emotionally charged, it is essential that hormone therapy providers are sensitive to both the positive and negative effects of various hormone replacement modalities on women’s hair growth.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy & Female Hair Loss
However, a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology questions the conventional wisdom and sheds new light on the effects of testosterone replacement therapy in women on hair loss. The study was authored by three physicians who noted that in their own our clinical experience, testosterone replacement therapy in women with androgen deficiency did not result in hair loss.
The authors reported that after treating more than 1,100 female patients with over 10,000 subcutaneous testosterone pellet insertions, hair thinning was rarely reported by their patients.
To evaluate the effect of subcutaneous testosterone therapy on scalp hair growth in female patients, 285 women with androgen deficiency were studied, who were treated for a minimum of 1 year with testosterone pellets. The subjects were required to complete a survey that included questions on scalp and facial hair. The study also collected data on age, body mass index (BMI) and serum testosterone levels.
The conclusion of that report was that subcutaneous testosterone therapy was found to have a beneficial effect on scalp hair growth in female patients who were treated for symptoms of androgen deficiency. The study posits that this is due to an anabolic effect of testosterone on hair growth. The study authors stated, “The fact that no subject complained of hair loss as a result of treatment casts doubt on the presumed role of testosterone in driving female scalp hair loss.”
Provider Hormone Therapy Training
This is just one of many examples of why providers seeking to offer BHRT to their patients should undergo hormone replacement certification from a reputable hormone therapy training company like SottoPelle.
With thousands of research articles on the topic of hormone replacement, it is literally impossible for individual hormone therapy providers to keep up on every study. However, SottoPelle provider hormone therapy training ensures that you and your practice always have the latest and most relevant data at your fingertips to ensure the most accurate and effective hormone dosing and ongoing management.
SottoPelle® hormone therapy training is based on science with forty years of HRT expertise, and 30 years of pellet therapy … with proven results!
CLICK HERE to learn more about becoming a SottoPelle Certified hormone therapy provider, or call 323.986.5100 & press 1
.
Provider Hormone Therapy Training: 323.986.5100 & press 1
Sources: Improvement in scalp hair growth in androgen-deficient women treated with testosterone, R.L. Glaser, C. Dimitrakakis* and A.G. Messenger
