Testosterone is the 'hormone of vitality'

Did you know that a 40-year-old woman has half the testosterone of a 20-year-old? Symptoms of hormone imbalance begin as early as the mid-30s and can include anxiety, depression, weight gain, fatigue, memory loss, PMS and more.

Healthy young women actually have 10 to 15 times more testosterone than they do estrogen, according to Dr. Rebecca Glaser, a Dayton, Ohio-based breast cancer surgeon who feels that testosterone, not estrogen, is the "hormone of vitality." Most women feel better after their cycle, when estrogen levels are lowest, not before their cycle, when many experience fluid retention, weight gain, breast pain, headaches and PMS.

I met Glaser when we were presenting at a recent conference of The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in Orlando.

She cited a study of women ages 33-74 that showed testosterone alone, delivered by a tiny "pellet" implant placed just under the skin, was able to improve:

•hot flashes and sweating

•heart discomfort

•sleep problems and insomnia

•depressive mood

•irritability

•anxiety

•physical exhaustion

•memory loss and concentration

•sexual problems

•bladder problems

•joint and muscular pain

The key is the continuous delivery of testosterone by the pellet implant. Creams, gels and capsules do not work the same way. The pellet implant is a simple, two-minute procedure done with local numbing about every three to four months in women and every four to five months in men. Patients said they find it very convenient and painless.

According to Glaser, "We need to stop thinking of hormone therapy for women as estrogen at menopause. Farmers give estrogen to cattle to make them gain weight i.e. increase feed efficiency. That is just what we have done to menopausal women." Testosterone, on the other hand, decreases fatty tissue; increases muscle mass and bone density, she says.

Glaser also emphasized the beneficial effect of testosterone on breast tissue. "Testosterone can prevent the stimulation of breast tissue caused by estrogen," she says.

To find out more about testosterone pellet implants go to www.horm onebalance.org.