Testosterone for Women

William Clearfield, D.O., FAAMA, DABMA, FAARFM

Medical Director, Clearfield Family Medicine, Reno, NV

By maintaining adequate, youthful, physiologic levels of testosterone, women enjoy increased energy, mood, mental clarity, sexual desire, and fulfillment, increased muscle and tissue strength. Despite thousands of peer-reviewed studies described in reputable medical journals, testosterone remains unapproved by the FDA for administration as a means of relieving the above lifestyle symptoms. This lecture discusses the physiology of testosterone in women, the rationale for prescribing natural plant-based testosterone to restore youthful hormonal levels including effects on brain and bone metabolism, sexual energy and sexual desire, mood, and memory versus commercially available synthetic compounds. No hormone is an island. We discuss the laboratory evaluation of testosterone and its derivative hormones, DHEA, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol and its relationship with the other hormones in the female hormonic symphony. We discuss treatment options including creams, injectables, and pellets. We will present a case study that includes a discussion of short and long-term benefits, side effects and contraindications of testosterone therapy in women.