How to Treat High Testosterone in Women: Signs and Causes

Hyperandrogenism Wikipedia

If they’re consistently high or low, you may experience unpleasant symptoms worth discussing with your provider. Testosterone deficiency during fetal development doesn’t allow male characteristics to develop normally. This is called androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and occurs when someone is genetically male but is insensitive to androgens (male sex hormones). In some cases, hormone therapy might be recommended to balance testosterone levels. Experiencing persistent acne, unwanted facial hair, or irregular menstrual cycles? Excessive hair growth, or hirsutism, can also be a sign of high testosterone in women.

Soy contains phytoestrogens, chemicals that mimic the action of female hormones. PCOS is a fairly common endocrine condition that is caused by hormonal imbalances. Elevated testosterone levels are a feature of PCOS, and bringing those elevated levels down can help manage symptoms. The most common causes of low testosterone levels are often age, underlying conditions and problems with certain glands.

Low testosterone may cause you to feel depressed or anxious, tired, weak, and have less interest in sex. You may find your period becoming irregular, your hair thinning, your skin and vagina drying, and good sleep harder to get. Symptoms of high estrogen include having irregular periods and dense breast tissue. When something goes wrong with your pituitary gland, less estrogen is made. Estrogen is a class of related hormones that includes estriol, estradiol, and estrone. Information provided in this booklet might not be relevant to an individual’s circumstances and should always be discussed with the individual’s healthcare professional.

However, if you’re a woman with higher testosterone levels than normal due to an underlying condition, this can result in various symptoms that affect both your appearance and how much more testosterone do males have than females you physically feel. In short, testosterone is an essential sex hormone that plays important roles in health across all sexes. Whether you’re having symptoms or just wondering how to test testosterone levels conveniently, consider the Everlywell Women’s Hormone Test. Metabolic disease, also known as metabolic syndrome, is an umbrella term for a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

In healthy women, the ovaries and adrenal glands produce about 40% to 50% of the body’s testosterone. Tumors of the ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can both cause too much androgen production. Despite the lack of targeted therapies for women with low testosterone, they have one option that may increase their levels. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often the first-line treatment for low testosterone levels in women. Hormone replacement therapy provides women with hormones that are typically lost or reduced during menopause.

If ultrasonography is performed, patients should be reassured that a multifollicular pattern is not tumor related and does not confirm a diagnosis of PCOS. Testosterone plays a significant role in our overall health and wellbeing. It helps with muscle and bone strength, mood, confidence, motivation, energy, memory, fertility and metabolism for both men and women. It also helps to increase dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter which is involved with libido. Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome can reduce their chances of long-term complications by maintaining a normal weight through healthy diet and regular exercise. Treatment success depends on the cause of excess androgen production.

Essentially, testosterone acts as the control switch that tells the body when to build bones and when to break them down. When we have high testosterone, it sends a signal to our bodies that we need to increase the bone resorption process. Unfortunately, this can leave our bones very brittle and weak and prone to fractures.

Another possible effect of high T in women is excessive hair growth in unwanted areas, known as hirsutism. (Yes, there’s a scientific name for those pesky chin hairs you have to pluck.) Other signs include acne, excessive perspiration, frontal balding, and deepening of the voice. For both men and women, testosterone plays a key role in the development and maintenance of muscle mass, strength, energy levels, and bone density. For women in particular, the maintenance of bone density and muscle mass is important, as both of these tend to deteriorate with age. Then, to deal with excess male hormones, treatment is similar to PCOS treatment — including birth control or androgen receptor blockers, Frederick says. In this condition, women notice unwanted hair growth in their bodies. There is a connection between abnormal hormonal conditions to an individual’s genetics.

While women naturally produce less testosterone than men, some women struggle with high testosterone levels. Along with estrogen, testosterone helps to grow and maintain women’s bones and reproductive tissues. With the recent controversy surrounding South African Olympian Caster Semenya, many are beginning to wonder how common it is for women to have naturally high testosterone levels. Even with the advancement of hormone-testing technology, testosterone is still broadly considered a “male-only” hormone, despite its natural production in the ovaries.