When women come to my practice feeling depressed, fatigued and uninterested in sex, they often have one thing in common… low testosterone.
I get funny looks when I tell them that. That’s because few people associate the “male hormone” testosterone with women’s health problems. And even fewer doctors test women for it.
But that’s a mistake that makes women suffer needlessly. And they often wind up with drug therapy while testosterone is 100% natural.
Boosting your testosterone isn’t difficult or risky. And I’ve seen dramatic results in the women who come to my Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine. It brings back confidence, provides a youthful vitality and sparks pleasure in the bedroom.
You see, women produce testosterone naturally in their ovaries and adrenal glands. But production drops as they age.
By the time menopause hits, most women have only a quarter of the levels they had in their 20s. And birth control pills and estrogen therapy can make it drop even more.
Studies show this decline has a direct link to depression, low libido and increased body fat.1 It also leads to debilitating fatigue and robs you of your vitality and zest for life and pleasure.
Thankfully, there’s an easy solution. Boosting your testosterone is simple and safe. And it can have amazing results.
In one study in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors increased testosterone in women with low levels and saw huge improvements in mood, sex drive and overall well-being after just 12 weeks.2
If you’re feeling symptoms of depression, fatigue and low libido, there’s an easy fix. Today, I’m going to show you how to naturally boost your own testosterone just like my patients do.
The first thing you should do is have your testosterone levels checked to see if you’re low. A woman’s testosterone ranges from about 25 to 85. That compares to 300 to 900 for a man.
If you find that you have insufficient testosterone in your blood, you can naturally boost testosterone levels by taking the following steps…
- Do vigorous exercise five days a week. A 2001 study measured the impact of exercise on testosterone levels. After six weeks of doing squat exercises, women’s levels rose significantly.3
The lunges, squats and squat thrusts that are part of my PACE (Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion) program are excellent ways to boost your testosterone while making your heart and lungs biologically younger. And all it takes is 12 minutes of exercise per day.
- Eat healthy saturated fats. Studies show saturated animal fats help maintain healthy testosterone levels.4 Good sources are grass-fed beef, organic eggs, and milk, butter and cheese from pastured animals.
- Take tribulus terrestris. This herb has been shown to gently increase testosterone in women who are low.5 Tribulus increases luteinizing hormone (LH). LH is your body’s natural way of telling itself to produce testosterone. This means it won’t force your body to make more than you need. I recommend taking 500 mg a day.
- Try bioidentical testosterone therapy. I use a low dose of bioidentical testosterone on women patients. It comes in creams, injectables, pills and patches. And it’s just like the natural hormone your body makes.
I find women often feel better with testosterone toward the higher end of the female range. But you don’t want to overdo it. So that’s why I check hormone levels every three months until patients’ levels are in balance. Then you can drop back to annual tests.
Bioidentical testosterone therapy is only available through a doctor. And treatment is specific to each woman’s needs. So make sure you see a trusted physician for treatment.
If you’d like to learn more about the bioidentical testosterone therapy for women at my Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, you can call 561-784-7852, or visit www.searsinstitute.com.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Rohr UD. “The impact of testosterone imbalance on depression and women’s health.” Maturitas. 2002 Apr 15;41 Suppl 1:S25-46.
2. Shifren JL, et al. “Testosterone treatment in women with impaired sexual function.” N Engl J Med. 2000 Sep 7;343(10):682-8.
3. Nindl BC et al. “Testosterone responses after resistance exercise in women: influence of regional fat distribution.” Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2001;11(4):451-65.
4. Hamalainen, E., et al. “Diet and serum sex hormones in healthy men.” J Steroid Biochem. 1984;20(1):459-64.
5. Brown GA, et al. “Effects of androstenedione – herbal supplementation on serum sex hormone concentrations in 30 to 59-year-old men” Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2001; 71(5):293-301