It may be shocking for some women to learn that it is not only men who have testosterone, but that they also produce this hormone. A woman’s ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen, but why? Why does a woman need both testosterone and estrogen, when testosterone is often used exclusively in reference to men? To understand why women produce testosterone, you must first understand what testosterone is, what is does to the body, and how it interacts with other hormones in a woman’s body. Then, you will more fully understand the necessity of testosterone for women.
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is an androgen, a male hormone, but, as stated above, it is also necessary for women, and their ovaries produce small amounts of it. Testosterone in men is the main component in their sexual reproductive development, and it is produced in the testes and prostate. Testosterone produced by a woman’s body helps to increase her sex drive, and maintain healthy bones and muscles. On average, an adult male produces about ten times more testosterone than an adult female, but a woman’s body is much more sensitive to the hormone.
Testosterone and Estrogen
The female body produces much higher amounts of estrogen than it does testosterone, but it requires both hormones to function. Without one or the other, a woman can experience conditions like low sexual desire, brittle bones, loss of muscle mass, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and a whole host of other menopausal symptoms. There are numerous studies currently being conducted on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), to find out if estrogen plus testosterone is the best way to treat women who are going through menopause. Doctors are discovering that when women are given both hormones, as opposed to just estrogen, their bodies are able to combat menopausal symptoms better than if they are given estrogen alone.
Testosterone clearly plays a very important role in keeping a woman’s body happy and healthy. Without the presence of this male hormone, women would have a much lower or an absent sex drive and they would have a more difficult time keeping bone and muscle mass at the optimum levels. Women who are going through menopause should be mindful of the fact that it is not just estrogen that is wreaking havoc on their bodies, but testosterone as well.
In order to effectively curb menopausal symptoms, it is important to treat all of these hormonal imbalances. Click on the following link to find out more about menopause and natural hormones.
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