By: May Ling Lai
Estrogen is widely highlighted as “the female hormone.” It is the sex hormone, produced in the ovaries and responsible for womanly features and reproductive functions. As women begin to go through menopause, many consider supplement their diet with estrogen through hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to assuage the symptoms of “the change of life” – and the hot flashes, sweats, and moodiness associated with it.

However, did you know that testosterone is equally important to a woman? Here are 10 things we’ve compiled that many people do not know about this important hormone:

1. Testosterone is produced in the ovaries and is the precursor to estrogen.

2. According to the Anti-Aging and Cardiovascular Health Center, by age 40-44, female androgen (testosterone) production has already decreased by more than half. With natural menopause, testosterone production decreases again by one-third to one-half. Testosterone levels fall from 70 ng/dl in young adulthood down to 10 ng/dl at menopause.

3. The decrease in sex drive seen thereafter is often due to oral contraceptives that suppress all sex hormone production (testosterone, estrogens and progesterone).

4. Before and after menopause, testosterone benefits to women include: improved relief of menopause symptoms, increased energy levels, enhanced feelings of well-being, decreased breast tenderness, improved sexual desire, increased sexual sensitivity, increased the frequency of coitus, and enhanced orgasm.

5. With the cessation of 80% of hormonal production, a menopausal woman suffers from estrogen, progesterone and testosterone deficiency.

6. According to a study in the Archives of General Psychology, sexual dysfunction is estimated to affect 43% of women. For women, testosterone shows clear clinical potential for treating the two most common types of female sexual dysfunction: low sex drive (22%) and sexual arousal problems (14%).

7. Menopausal women have low to non-detectable testosterone levels with resultant loss of libido and increase in body fat.

8. The replacement of estrogen alone does not correct an absent sex drive, loss of muscle tone and general lack of mental “get-up-and-go.”

9. Estrogen replacement therapy can also lead to decreased testosterone production, leading some postmenopausal women to go to their doctors with concerns about lack of energy and libido despite already being on hormone replacement therapy.

10. In a study at the Baton Rouge Menopause Center on the treatment of 4,000 patients, a combination of estrogen and testosterone has shown a reduction in the incidence of breast cancer to less than half the national average. On average, there is one cancer discovered for every 100 mammograms performed. In those patients on testosterone therapy, there is only one cancer in every 1,000 mammograms-a decrease of 90 percent.

As the top ten list suggests, testosterone deficiency, also known as Andropause, is creating a hot flash in the medical community in treatment of females with ovarian cancer, patients who undergo hysterectomies, and women above age 40. Because clinical trials on the long term effects of this treatment are still underway, testosterone therapy remains controversial. However, such experts as psychiatrist Dr. Susan Rako, author of “The Hormone of Desire: The Truth About Sexuality, Menopause and Testosterone,” and clinician Dr. William Regelson, M.D., author of “The Superhormone Promise” are part of a growing wave of publications heralding the importance of this hormone to women’s health. These and other pioneers suggest that using the hormone at the right dose can help some women ward off the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, maintain muscle mass, improve energy, keep the zing in their sex lives, and generally feel better.

Finding the right balance is imperative. Rather than a “one size fits all” prescription, doctors agree that a dosage tailored to the individual’s needs is key. Prescription options include taking testosterone or DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) pills, lozenges, patches, gels, and injections. Disadvantages of this therapy include risks of liver toxicity and lower levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol). Common side effects caused by high doses of DHEA include acne, menstrual irregularities, irritability, and restlessness

One of the most effective non-prescription herbs for naturally increasing testosterone production is Tongkat Ali, a strong strain of ginseng grown in the rainforests of Malaysia. This herb stimulates the luteinizing hormones (LH) responsible for naturally stimulating testosterone production in the body. Scientific studies show this herb to be two times more effecting in producing the hormone than Tribulus Terrestris. There are currently no known side effects associated with these two herbs.

The largest North American distributor of this Tongkat Ali is Chicago minority women run Herbal Powers. The company markets the product in sixty capsule pills and an herbal coffee, Enerdisia. Information on their products and associated retailers is available at www.herbal-powers.com. - 13 August 2002