Megan

Treatment for Low Testosterone in Women…

I have low Testosterone levels… It’s not something you normally hear about in women.

Before I get started on today’s post, I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter weekend.

We spent it in the bush camping helping friends set a rogaine for later this year. Most days I hung around the campsite, with a short walk with T during the day while the others were on long hikes setting check points. I did join them on Sunday when half the points were only short walks from the car, this was another big day like the rogaine the previous weekend but I did make sure that I rested a lot as well by staying at the car and meditating while the others went on longer walks.

Over the weekend I had a lot of time to think and reflect on how things have been going lately.

I’m still working on finding balance in my life but have realised that having a set routine doesn’t work for me. Instead pacing, and continually reassessing and adjusting to create balance over a longer time period instead of trying to balance activity within any given day.

I’m feeling very positive about my progress. As I mentioned last week, I’ve had a few full on days lately (think double my daily average step count without many rest breaks) but haven’t had any major crashes. I have had a few single crash days but have been back to ‘bad’ by the next day.

I’m attributing at least part of this improvement to the nortriptyline I started taking about a month ago, and I’m hopeful that the testosterone cream I started on the weekend will improve things further.

I’ve started the testosterone because my free (available) testosterone levels in my blood stream were almost non-existent. This could explain several of my symptoms including the fatigue, sleep issues and an increased risk of bone loss (I’ve been diagnosed with Osteopenia – the step before Osteoporosis and the doctors haven’t found a reason for the continued bone loss after stopping the Depo Provera over a year ago). It can also cause low libido.

There are side effects I have to be aware of including increased hair growth in the area I apply the cream, lowering of my voice, and acne. Because the side effects can take a while to appear and too much testosterone can have even greater impacts on my health, I need to have a follow up blood test in 3 weeks to check whether the dosage is correct and see if my blood levels of free testosterone are back in the mid-high normal range. The benefits of the testosterone cream (in particular increased energy) should also become visible in the next 2-3 weeks.

Have you ever had your hormone levels tested?

If you’re female, have you ever tried hormonal replacement (in particular testosterone)?

6 comments

  1. It’s great you’ve been able to do so much without a major crash. That sounds like very good progress.

    I did have my hormones tested, at least once. Mine just showed slightly low progesterone. Did your doctor say what would cause low testosterone in females? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that happening. Of course most of our doctors won’t check hormone levels. I had mine done through a naturopath. It could be that it’s very common and just doesn’t get diagnosed.

    • Thanks Trisha, sorry for the slow reply!
      There are several reasons for a woman to have low testosterone but none of them appear to be relevant for me.
      The reasons I was told of were:
      – being on hormonal birth control containing estrogen,
      – being pregnant, or
      – liver failure.
      I’m not sure how often it happens. Females have their highest level of testosterone at around 20 years old and it drops from then. Maybe I just started off with less at the beginning?

      • Maybe so. I wonder too if it could be from the ME? I’ve read that our whole endocrine system can get out of whack. For me, within a year and a half of having mono, I developed polycystic ovarian syndrome and my hormones were all crazy for many long years. Whatever the cause, I hope the treatment helps you get some energy back.

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