Testosterone: beyond libido | The Dr Louise Newson Podcast
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- Testosterone is an important sex hormone for both men and women (although women have much lower levels) produced by your ovaries and adrenal glands and declines during the menopause.
When it comes to menopause, testosterone is a hormone that can be misunderstood, and many women struggle to access testosterone treatment on the NHS.
Here Dr Louise and her Newson Health colleague, GP and Menopause Specialist Dr Catherine Coward, talk about how it can be a valuable addition to HRT for women around the menopause and beyond.
NICE menopause guidance recommends testosterone can be beneficial for women experiencing low libido where HRT alone hasn’t helped. Yet Dr Louise and Dr Catherine talk how in their clinical experience, testosterone benefits can extend beyond sex drive-related symptoms, with patients reporting improvements including having more energy, and reduced brain fog and anxiety.
The truly grotesque fact of our world is my 18 year old son could request and receive, any amount of female hormones no questions asked and be celebrated in his decision. However, I his menopausal mother have to justify HRT to retain my female hormones. This world is truly upside down.
True 😢
The male doctor population wants women dead. Truth.
Indeed!
My GP wouldn’t prescribe it to me, so I went to a women’s clinic and finally got a prescription for it. I have a compound cream. Been using it for 2months now. Mostly using for lost muscle mass. Haven’t seen a drastic change yet!
I reached out to a highly regarded compounding pharmacy here in Portugal asking if they had a doctor prescribing 5 mg daily Testosterone for women. I got a doctors name! Today I saw her associate, as she was on vacation, and it was wonderful! She has taken your “Confidence in the Menopause” course (I am taking it myself!)
And she spoke with me for 90 minutes! I’m getting the Testosterone I need and she assured me we could increase it if needed after labs in 3 months. She also said I was low in Estrogen and DHEA. Plus, referred me to a doctor from Brazil who is in my city for the follow up. I took a train for over an hour to see her. Feel hopeful for the first time since moving here. 🥰☺️
She completely understood my feelings of frustration and anger in being denied and looked at like, “Stop being so rebellious, just take what we say you need and be the quiet, compliant patient.”
So grateful to have found this compassionate and knowledgeable young doctor.
Who is the doctor in Portugal?
@@isasousa4521 She is in Porto and her name is Dra. Vera Sá. In Portugal you need to see a doctor in the Anti-aging specialty unfortunately.
@@vibrantly50 thank you very much! I'll try to reach her. Do you have the name of the clinic?
@@isasousa4521 I prefer you Google that info. To help them stay low profile. 😉
Please, Do you know any doctor in USA. that works with hormones?
My GP prescribed me Testosterone today really pleased. I hope it helps my ZERO libido that I have had for a good few years low I’m 49.
I told her I wanted to try Testosterone and told her I had done lots of research and mentioned the NICE guidelines to her and she prescribed me.
I’m already on Estrogen and Prog
So how's it going?
@@bastianm5478 really well so far. Sex drive not improved much but I’m feeling really motivated to do things that I haven’t wanted to do for a very long time
Testosterone and HRT literally saved my life.
I’ve stopped the onslaught of symptoms and am still improving the damage menopause has done to my health both physically and mentally. Right now I’m struggling with anhedonia and have recently learned about the amazingly varied roles Oxytocin plays in women’s health. Hopefully you could speak about it in a future podcast.
I'd like to know much more about oxytocin as well 😊xx
I have been clipping the articles about Newsons latest studies she presents in Italy. I am SO grateful for these women, Pioneers, pulling us out of the old medical male hierarchy. Testosterone is still hard to research for the every day woman. This is the most informative podcast I have ever heard. Thank you!
I think it's disgusting how women's wellbeing and quality of life are not considered worthy of treatment with testosterone by many clinicians, but heaven forbid if her husband might not be getting as much sex as he would like, that's worth prescribing it for!
I've always thought that about the libido clause. Men must get sex, and a partner who keeps saying no isn't convenient. With so many other positive reasons for the WOMAN to take testosterone, only increasing her interest in sex is worthy of a prescription. Hopefully this will be changing asap 😊xx
That is what I have been thinking after a lot of research recently. Hopefully my doctor will agree.
Why doesn't anyone address DHEA & Pregnenolone? Both are OTC in the US. Pregnenolone is the precursor to either Progesterone or DHEA. DHEA produces either Estrogen or Testosterone.
I’d love to hear more about this too
Thank you for your podcast - very interesting!
QUESTION: Does Estrogen stop facial hair from growing, or does Testosterone cause facial hair to grow? I 've noticed menopausal women who have facial hair, and this has me wondering if they have too much testosterone, or because they have low estrogen. Thank you.
I have been on HRT/ intra Rosa for a few months. I am not taking testosterone as yet. I had lots of Vaginal/ urinary/ burning pain before. Better now.
I am a avid yogi and love to do cold showers and breathing practices which really boost my sex drive. I think this is boosting my testosterone naturally?
I was lucky to be in Perth, Western Australia when I reached peri menopausal years. While hospital specialists and gynaecologists were clueless, GPs were on to it and it is widely offered (and now licensed). Now in Europe where there is a lacuna in understanding and very little prescribing (and certainly NO female testosterone product available by law). Perhaps de-regulation is the future if doctors cannot grasp the basic research (such as it is sadly, and often in Australia).
How can i get my gp to test me for testosterone?
I have an idea. What if we go to our GPs and tell them that we wish to transition to be a man? In canada you can get testosterone then.🤔
this is great, but what is a healthy amount of testosterone? i had something like 100-150 via pellets and i now have a mustache and horrible acne that i’ve never had before.
Hi Dr Louise, I love your podcasts. My name is Sue, and I am 56 and live in Australia. All my life, I have been full of beans, a bit hypo, I don't like to sit around. I am a personal trainer, and I have owned my own gym. My periods stopped at about 51. However, for over a year now, I have been struggling with low energy, severe muscle, and joint pain, which I am on osteo panadol 3 times per day. I can't sleep properly due to the pain, and it makes me frustrated. My mood is low, my brain is foggy, and libido is low. Approximately 4 weeks ago I started on a vaginal hormone and one week later progesterone. I am thinking that I must need the testosterone hormone to hopefully feel normal again 🤔. What do you think? 11-30pm Australian time
I'm not a doctor but have been studying this topic for 3 years. Vaginal estrogen will not go systemic. So, start with replacing your estrogen with a transdermal gel or patch. Make sure to take your oral micronized progesterone continuously every evening. Once you get this worked out, then add testosterone.
Yes, the vaginal estrogen only helps the vaginal tissue-to raise your systemic estrogen which is where you see the real health benefits, then you will need transdermal estradiol.
Wow, just waking up to this. Been on hrt but still feeling a bit of the puzzle is missing. Absolutely zero libedo. In minus numbers. Frozen, frigid, ice cold, absolute zero. Working my arse off at the gym to try and boost it. Just learned it's a thing and possibly can be address....
I'm 59 and have osteopenia, have been on transdermal patch with mirena IUD and am considering switching to oral micronized progesterone to possibly get the bone density benefit of systemic progesterone -- should I also consider adding testosterone, and if yes, what dose/formulation?
I use the estradiol patch and Mirena IUD as well and was wondering whether I would benefit in any way from systemic progesterone. So you’ve heard that it helps to prevent bone loss?
@@brookesurlet9753 Yes, I recently listened to a medical podcast about osteopenia/osteoperosis - Estradiol is most beneficial, but was surprised to learn of the oral micronized progesterone benefits to bone (as well as sleep, anxiety benefits) that Mirnea does not provide,
@@brookesurlet9753 Should mention that my GYN said I could keep the Mirena and just add 100mg of oral micronized progesterone if I didn't want to remove the Mirena (I like that the Mirena has been good at keeping me from spotting at all; when I was on oral I had spotting issues, so having both may be a good solution for me).
Yes, testosterone does help maintain bone health and reduces bone loss!
@@brookesurlet9753you need to be on some kind of bioidentical progesterone is you’re taking estrogen-you need this to balance the estrogen to prevent uterine and breast cancer. Hormones are safe if they are balanced.
I had to fight for testosterone and have a red mark on my records along with a few other red mrks fighting for mental health support. Testosterone has been the game changer for everything 🎉
Can you explain more - how so?
Dryness is my first problem...
In Canada, it's so difficult to find a healthcare professional not in a private clinic to prescribe HRT. The fees at the private clinics are in the thousands per year, plus the HRT itself. For most, it's impossible unless you take out a loan to pay this every year for the next 50 years of your life. Even gynecologists don't know much about hormones or are afraid of prescribing them. I wish there was a mandatory menopause training for all doctors to keep their licenses. I've been bouncing back and forth between the gyno, GP and oncologist to try to get my HRT sorted...and it's still not sorted after months and months. I haven't even reached 1 mg or estrogen yet, and they're freaking out about me wanting to raise my dosage. My symptoms tell me I am still low in estrogen and I need to add testosterone for sure. In Canada, women cannot get testosterone, unless you find a doctor that is willing to prescribe "off label" for you. I mean, they are petrified of it, why can't they just do a bit of research to help their patients? They really do not care. If more women spoke up and made noise, maybe it will change.
My cousin in Canada sees a Naturopath doctor and she gets her HRT prescription from the Naturopath.
My GP just told me today that I should not be on her patch. I'm 62 and she says I will not have any benefits taking it. I asked for testosterone, she said no. The benefits don't outway the risks. The other GP did not say this. What do I do.x
Change your GP because they are talking absolute rubbish. My Mum was told the same when she was 60 they wanted to take her off it. She demanded they didn’t and took all of the research in with her. They backed down in the end and let her stay on patch.
Can you just take testosterone without estrogen.
From what I've heard you can. Some testosterone may convert to estrogen
Yes! I was just prescribed Testosterone and progesterone.