Increased Testosterone in Women

Increased Testosterone in Women

Testosterone is produced in both sexes in the adrenal cortex. In women, it is also produced by the ovaries and other body tissues, such as skin or adipose tissue. Most of the testosterone produced in women is converted to estradiol. From the article, you will learn why it is so important and how to increase it.

• Increased testosterone in women: the content of the article
• Testosterone: why it is so important and what it affects
• The norm of testosterone in women
• Symptoms of high testosterone in women
• Causes of High Testosterone in Women
• Testosterone boost test
• Hormones that lower testosterone
• Testosterone: why it is so important and what it affects

Testosterone is one of the key hormones in the female body. Suffice it to say that without testosterone, there would be no estradiol, the main female sex hormone. Testosterone is produced in both sexes in the adrenal cortex. In women, it is also produced by the ovaries and other body tissues, such as skin or adipose tissue. Most of the testosterone produced in women is converted to estradiol.

Testosterone deficiency can lead to osteoporosis and lack of muscle, low sex drive and lack of orgasm, depression, and chronic pain.

The shift in the balance of male (androgens) and female (estrogen) sex hormones in the direction of increasing testosterone causes a woman to have a condition called hyperandrogenism. Statistics show that this occurs in 5-20% of women. Hyperandrogenism has many undesirable manifestations, ranging from skin imperfections to impaired fertility.

The norm of testosterone in women

The female body needs significantly less testosterone than the male body.

The normal level in women ranges from 0.52–1.72 nmol/l, while in men it is 8.9–42.0 nmol/l.

During pregnancy, testosterone levels can rise 3-4 times.

Symptoms of high testosterone in women's

• Acne

• Excess hair on the face, chest, back
• Thinning and hair loss on the head in the forehead and crown
• Irregular periods
• Mood swings
• Enlarged clitoris
• Redistribution of fat by male type
• Breast reduction
• Loss of sex drive
• Low voice

High testosterone levels in women can also lead to obesity and infertility.

Causes of High Testosterone in Women

One of the main causes of high testosterone levels in women is polycystic ovary syndrome. The ovaries cease to function normally, which, among other things, leads to a violation of the processing of testosterone into estradiol and, accordingly, an increase in its level in the body. Polycystic ovary syndrome is accompanied by rare menstruation, increased body hair growth, increased oily skin, and acne. Rarer causes of increased testosterone levels in women are congenital dysfunction or tumors of the adrenal cortex, Cushing's syndrome, hyperprolactinemia, and insulin resistance.

Testosterone Boost Test

Testosterone is found in the blood in two forms - free and associated with special carrier proteins, together they make up total testosterone. Scientists believe that protein-bound testosterone has no biological activity and works as a hormone depot. Therefore, in order to understand whether testosterone is elevated, you need to determine its free part.

Recently, it has become possible to determine testosterone in saliva - this is more convenient than donating blood. Studies show that the level of testosterone in saliva directly corresponds to the level of free testosterone in the blood plasma.

The common belief that testosterone in women depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle is erroneous - its level changes slightly, which allows you to take the test on any day.

Hormones that Lower Testosterone

1. Hormones that reduce the production of testosterone in the ovaries:

combined oral contraceptives (COCs) - estrogens in combination with progestins;

luteinizing hormone (LH) agonists.

2. Hormones that reduce the production of testosterone in the adrenal glands:

glucocorticoid hormones.

3. Hormones and other substances that block the action of testosterone:

• Cyproterone acetate;
• Spironolactone;
• Flutamide;
• Finasteride.

Severe symptoms of increased testosterone require professional medical and sometimes surgical treatment. However, it must be understood that testosterone is normal for a woman's body, so it is not required to reduce it in the absence of diseases.