If you're not feeling your usual energetic self or are experiencing a low sex drive or unexplained depression, you may have low testosterone levels in your body. Although testosterone is predominantly a male hormone, as a woman you need sufficient amounts of it to remain healthy and vigorous throughout your life. If you suspect you have low testosterone levels, ask your general practitioner to recommend a doctor who specializes in the disorder to test your testosterone levels and prescribe an appropriate medical treatment plan that matches your health needs and lifestyle.
Identification
The hormone testosterone helps to maintain your sex drive and regulate your muscle and bone mass, says Dr. Paul Carpenter, a health informatics researcher and endocrinology consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. You produce testosterone in your ovaries and adrenal glands. However, with age or after surgeries such as hysterectomies, your testosterone levels may drop and you may experience health problems related to the hormonal decrease, says Dr. Carpenter on Healthfully.org.
Symptoms
You may experience fatigue, depression, an increased risk of bone fractures, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis if you have low testosterone levels. You may also suffer from fatigue, low sex drive and weight gain, says Dr. Michael Werner, a specialist in sexual dysfunction and male infertility practicing in Purchase, New York, and Norwalk, Connecticut. If you are over 65 years old and have low testosterone levels, you may also have a higher risk of becoming anemic, adds the Clinical Research Branch of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore.
Treatments
Doctors can prescribe testosterone replacement treatments, including oral testosterone and testosterone body cream, to treat your symptoms caused by low testosterone. However, this treatment is controversial because it may cause masculinization, a condition that causes you to grow excess facial and body hair, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Clinical Trial
A study conducted by head researcher C. Sievers of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany, examined 2,914 women between the ages of 18 and 75 for 4 1/2 years to determine what effect low testosterone levels had on their health. The researchers concluded women who had low testosterone levels had higher incidents of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, or death resulting from any reason, than women who did not have low testosterone levels, reports PubMed.com.
Considerations
Little research is available to properly diagnose low testosterone levels, says Dr. Werner. Therefore, physicians compare your testosterone levels to those of healthy women, and not necessarily the amount of testosterone you need to experience optimum performance and health, since that fact is still largely unknown. Therefore, Dr. Werner suggests you see a doctor who specializes in low testosterone function to determine if low testosterone, or a similar medical issue, is causing your ill health.
