Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women Decrease in sexual desire or libido. Decrease in sexual thoughts or fantasies. Difficulty reaching orgasm. Fatigue.
Symptoms of low testosterone in women
Low libido, weight gain, and changes in mood are all common signs of low testosterone levels. Low testosterone over a long period of time may also contribute to more serious issues like heart disease, poor memory, and loss of bone density.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to naturally boost your levels of testosterone. The best nutrients to increase levels of testosterone are protein, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins particularly vitamin B6 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
DHEA treatment is used in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with low androgen levels. A positive response occurs in many women treated with DHEA . Of all methods of hormone replacement DHEA is preferred although options such as Estratest and testosterone 1% gel are available.
If you have low testosterone levels, you may notice the following signs and symptoms: decreased sex drive (libido) poor (or no) erections (erectile dysfunction or impotence) enlarged breasts.
Living with a testosterone deficiency long-term will increase your likelihood of developing age-related diseases, including osteoporosis and heart disease, among others.
Causes of low testosterone levels
Conditions that may cause hypogonadism include: testicular injury or infection. chemotherapy or radiation cancer treatments. pituitary gland disease or other hormone disorders.
Making certain lifestyle changes can also affect testosterone levels. Starting an exercise or weight loss program can help because losing weight can improve symptoms. Some women choose only to treat their symptoms, including shaving or bleaching hair and using facial cleaners for acne or oily skin.
Magnesium supplementation resulted in reduced BMI and testosterone levels as well as increased DHEA concentrations in women with PCOS. Also, magnesium supplementation may increase serum LH levels.
Studies have found that women undergoing testosterone replacement were able to find success in reducing fatigue and depression symptoms, as well as increasing sex drive and improving mood. Additionally, a study of 51 women found that this treatment also brought stronger bones, more muscle mass, and more fat-free mass.
Your hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers your pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH). LH then travels to your gonads and stimulates the production and release of testosterone. (LH more often stimulates the production of estrogen and progesterone in ovaries.)
When women have too much testosterone, it throws the ratio of female to male hormones out of balance. If levels of testosterone get too high, women may experience the following PCOS symptoms (Hall, 2021): Excess body and facial hair growth (hirsutism) Weight gain or obesity.
In young, healthy women, resistance exercise can induce transient increases in testosterone, and anthropometric markers of adiposity correlate with testosterone concentrations.
Eating a varied diet can provide the body with the nutrients it needs for progesterone metabolism. This includes foods such as cruciferous vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Keeping a healthy weight, staying on a consistent sleep schedule, and managing stress can help to keep hormones balanced as well.
Some women with high testosterone levels develop frontal balding. Other possible effects include acne, an enlarged clitoris, increased muscle mass, and deepening of voice. High levels of testosterone can also lead to infertility and are commonly seen in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Testosterone home testing kits are widely available from several companies, including LetsGetChecked, Everlywell, and Progene. They use your blood or saliva to test your hormone levels. After taking the test, you'll send your sample to a laboratory for testing.
Decreases in testosterone can lead to physical changes including the following: increased body fat. decreased strength/mass of muscles. fragile bones.
Exercise. A combination of aerobic (increase in heart rate) and resistance (weightlifting) training has been found to increase the production of testosterone. This also helps prevent the most common diseases that men are most likely to die from, heart disease and cancer.
Fatigue is a common effect of low testosterone. You might feel like you just don't have the energy that you're used to. Or you might be incredibly tired. But many other things can sap your energy, too, including normal aging and depression.