Women produce testosterone, too
It’s a common misconception that sex hormones are completely different and separate based on gender – more specifically, estrogen only exists in women and testosterone only exists in men – but it is quite the opposite.
While hormone levels differ depending on your gender, estrogen and testosterone are produced by both sexes, and each hormone plays a unique role in your body’s overall health.
When we talk about hormone replacement therapy (or HRT), we are often talking about the replacement of estrogen in women and testosterone in men, as those are the dominant sex hormones for each gender, but there are a lot of great benefits of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for women, too, and our 10X Health team can help you evaluate how TRT could help you optimize your health.
What is HRT / TRT?
HRT and TRT are treatments that replenish estrogen or testosterone in your body to their natural levels, and they are wonderful treatment options for those experiencing negative symptoms of aging or menopause.
Many of our clients come to us with specific symptoms, and after running a full hormone panel to determine any issues, we can recommend a course of HRT or TRT treatment (or other treatment, if HRT is not the best choice) to both manage those symptoms and further optimize their system.
Some symptoms that may indicate a need for HRT or TRT include:
- Mood swings
- Hot flashes
- Irregular menstruation
- Low libido
- Insomnia
- Loss of muscle mass or bone density
- Hair thinning or reduced growth
What does testosterone do for women?
Although testosterone is often considered a “male hormone,” actually an essential part of both a man’s and a woman’s overall health, so HRT of testosterone can be an excellent option for women with a testosterone imbalance.
In general, testosterone supports bodily functions in a few different ways. It can assist in growing, maintaining, and repairing reproductive tissues, improve or repair bone mass, and support a healthy sex drive.
When testosterone is overproduced in the body, it can lead to infertility, obesity, excessive hair growth, and PCOS. When it’s underproduced, it can lead to low sex drive, irregular menstruation, or changes in breast tissue. At 10X Health, the goal is to optimize, not overstimulate, a person’s individual hormone chemistry.
Benefits of testosterone HRT for women
Because of the important role that testosterone plays in a woman’s body and health, both menopausal and post-menopausal women can benefit from HRT as part of their wellness plan. By supplementing testosterone through HRT, women can see improved growth and maintenance of bones and muscles, improved mood and well-being, and even improved sexual function.
When coupled with estrogen HRT – which is meant to replenish estrogen levels – the two treatments can work together to rebalance your sex hormones, and any unwanted symptoms from menopause, like hot flashes or dryness, can be more effectively managed.
How to get started
The first step in the journey to HRT is to evaluate the current state of your hormone levels and identify any levels that are too high or too low. Our medical experts can paint a comprehensive picture of your current health and any future risk factors through the use of blood and genetic testing. Once we have that information, we can work with you to create a customized wellness plan, which may or may not include HRT, depending on the findings of our testing.
From the early testing stages to the creation of your plan to the execution of your plan, the 10X Health team will be there to support every step and make sure treatments are supporting not only your needs but also your goals.
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Your health and wellness are completely unique to you, so the treatments you use to optimize your health should be unique to you, too. HRT and TRT are very common treatments, but the key to successful and safe HRT is precision dosing and ensuring you’re not getting too much of any particular hormone to reach unnatural levels.
If you’re interested in seeing how HRT or TRT can support you in living a happier and healthier life, contact our 10X Health team to get started with a comprehensive blood or gene test!
