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What is Androgen???
Overview
Androgens is also known as “male hormones,” however do not let the name fool you. Both convenience and women’s bodies turn out androgens, simply in differing amounts. In fact, androgens have quite two hundred actions in ladies, and that they area unit gift in higher amounts than estrogens.
The principal androgens are testosterone and androstenedione. They are, of course, gift in abundant higher levels in men and play a vital role in male traits and fruitful activity. Other androgens embrace dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA salt (DHEA-S).
In a adult body, one in all the most functions of androgens is to be reborn into the feminine hormones known as estrogens.
Androgens in Women
In women, androgens area unit created within the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat cells. In fact, ladies might turn out an excessive amount of or insufficient of those hormones––disorders of steroid excess and deficiency area unit among the a lot of common secretion disorders in ladies.
In women, androgens play a key role in the hormonal cascade that kick-starts puberty, stimulating hair growth in the pubic and underarm areas. Additionally, these hormones area unit believed to manage the operate of the many organs, as well as the fruitful tract, bone, kidneys, liver and muscle. In adult ladies, androgens area unit necessary for steroid hormone synthesis and are shown to play a key role within the bar of bone loss, also as physical attraction and satisfaction.
Androgen-Related Disorders
High Androgen Levels
Excess amounts of androgens will create a retardant, leading to such “virilizing effects” as skin disease, hirsuteness (excess hair growth in “inappropriate” places, like the chin or upper lip) and thinning of hair on the head (balding).
About ten p.c of ladies with high levels of a style of androgen known as “free” androgen have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), characterised by irregular or absent expelling periods, physiological condition, blood sugar disorders (prediabetes and type 2 diabetes), and, in some cases, symptoms like acne and excess hair growth. Most women with PCOS are overweight or obese, though a small percentage have a normal body weight. Left untreated, high levels of androgens, notwithstanding whether or not a lady has PCOS or not, area unit related to serious health consequences, such asinsulin resistance and diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.
In addition to PCOS, alternative causes of high steroid levels (called hyperandrogenism) embrace nonheritable adrenal dysplasia (a disease touching the adrenal glands that afflicts regarding one in ten,000 to one in 18,000 Americans, about half of whom are women) and other adrenal abnormalities, and ovarian or adrenal tumors. Medications such as anabolic steroids, occasionally abused by body builders and other athletes for performance enhancement, can also cause hyperandrogenic symptoms.
Low Androgen Levels
Low steroid levels is a retardant also, manufacturing effects like low libido(interest in or need for sex), fatigue, decreased sense of well-being and increased susceptibility to bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures. Because symptoms like tired need and general unease have a spread of causes, androgen deficiency, like hyperandrogenism, often goes undiagnosed.
Low steroid levels might have an effect on ladies at any age, but most commonly occur during the transition to menopause, or “perimenopause,” a term used to describe the time before menopause (usually two to eight years). Androgen levels begin dropping in a very woman’s 20s, and by the time she reaches change of life, have declined fifty p.c or a lot of from their peak as steroid production declines in the adrenal glands, and also the mid-cycle female internal reproductive organ steroid boost lessens or evaporates altogether.
Further declines in the decade following menopause indicate ever-decreasing ovarian function. For many ladies, the results of this additional steroid decline embrace aggravation of hot flashes and accelerated bone loss. These effects might not become apparent till the ladies area unit in their late 50s or early 60s.
Treatment for Low Androgen Levels
Combination estrogen/testosterone medications area unit on the market for girls in each oral and injected formulations. Small studies realize they’re effective in boosting physical attraction, energy and well-being in women with androgen deficiencies, as well as providing added protection against bone loss. One study showed some increased risks of breast and endometrial carcinoma, along with several other adverse effects, from one oral form of combined estrogen and testosterone, but these risks have not been demonstrated with other forms of treatment.
Testosterone is additionally a good treatment for AIDS-related wasting and is undergoing studies for treating syndrome (PMS) and reaction diseases. Women with PMS might have below-normal levels of androgen throughout the oscillation, suggesting that a androgen supplement might facilitate, however such treatments haven’t been well-tried effective.
Diagnosis
Your sex hormone levels is also traditional, too high (hyperandrogenism) or too low (hypoandrogenism). A health care professional can assess whether your symptoms suggest abnormal levels and can order a blood test to measure hormone levels. But results from blood tests square measure usually dishonest and should not be conclusive as a result of there’s no agreement on simply what constitutes “normal” sex hormone levels in ladies. Plus, levels fluctuate reckoning on a woman’s age, the temporal order of her cycle and her biological time standing. Further, several commonplace laboratory tests, optimized for measurement androgenic hormone in men, may not be sensitive enough to accurately measure women’s levels. As a result, it’s easier to diagnose sex hormone levels that square measure too high, rather than levels that are too low.
If you think you have got a hyperandrogenic condition, it’s vital to hunt a diagnosing and develop and start a treatment arrange. Hyperandrogenism will turn out vexatious cosmetic symptoms like unwanted hair on your higher lip and chin. Psychologically, the clinical manifestations of hyperandrogenemia (persistent skin condition, excess facial or body hair, thinning of hair on the scalp and obesity) can be devastating to young girls and women of reproductive age and may contribute to feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and antisocial behavior. Women with excessive, uncomfortable sexual tension might also have high levels of androgens.
Hyperandrogenic conditions are also associated with serious health problems like insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), diabetes and heart disease.
Hyperandrogenic syndromes usually go unknown, even though symptoms may be treated. For example, you may be treated for acne, without being evaluated for glucose tolerance or asked about menstrual regularity. It may be up to you to tie along a number of your hyperandrogenic symptoms and evoke a additional integrated analysis and treatment approach.
The signs and symptoms of hyperandrogenism are:
- Hirsutism (excess facial or body hair)
- Persistent acne and/or oily skin
- Alopecia (thinning hair on the head)
- Insulin resistance
- Acanthosis nigricans (rough, darkly pigmented areas of skin)
- High blood pressure
- Low HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) and high LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”)
- Obesity around the mid-abdomen
- Irregular or absent periods or frequent skipped cycles
- Enlargement of the clitoris
- Deep or hoarse voice
If your symptoms embody irregular or absent periods, you’ll have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)––the most typical condition related to hyperandrogenism. The menstrual irregularity indicates infrequent or absent ovulation, making PCOS a leading cause of female infertility, which is often treatable.
Some ladies with hyperandrogenism might expertise spontaneous organic process, and pregnancies might occur. However, ladies with high androgenic hormone levels even have AN enhanced risk of miscarriage.
Hyperandrogenic symptoms may be caused by a hereditary disease known as nonheritable adrenal dysplasia (CAH). Severe cases may end up in such extreme effects as venereal malformation and maturation (facial hair, acne) at a young age.
Milder cases may look a lot like PCOS, with symptoms possibly including facial hair, irregular periods and high blood pressure. Women with delicate CAH may be shorter than their folks, liable to infections and have a somewhat “masculine build,” with sq. shoulders and slender hips.
A thorough medical record and physical examination offer the foremost vital initial diagnostic data. Laboratory tests sometimes serve to substantiate the presence of hyperandrogenemia, a medical term that means an excessive amount of androgenic hormone within the blood. A blood test for total and free testosterone may be ordered, as well as a lipid profile (to measure cholesterol levels), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin and a fasting glucose test. Several endocrine perform tests may be ordered to see the site(s) of abnormal androgenic hormone secretion, like DHEA or its sulphate type, DHEAS. Thyroid tests are usually included in the evaluation. Inflammation is also a component of PCOS, so a physician may choose to measure some inflammatory markers as well.
Hormone medical aid (HT), which consists of either estrogen and progestin (sometimes referred to as hormone replacement therapy, or HRT) or estrogen-only therapy (ET), and birth control pills containing estrogen, are other treatment options. Oral estrogens boost levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein made in the liver that binds testosterone and estrogen. This reduces levels of free androgenic hormone, which can be triggering symptoms. Glucocorticoids (cortisone), that area unit typically prescribed for asthma attack or inflammation, may suppress production of androgens.
Androgen Deficiency
Androgen levels in women peak during their 20s. Then a decline in daily production begins that continues throughout a woman’s life. The only time a abrupt drop-off in an exceedinglyndrogen levels happens is in ladies WHO have their ovaries removed (about 1/2 all androgens area unit created in a woman’s adrenal glands and half in her ovaries). By the time a girl reaches biological time, blood androgen levels are about half of what they were at their peak.
Low androgenic hormone levels in ladies throughout their fruitful years, as well as following menopause, result in three noticeable symptoms: low libido, fatigue and a reduced sense of well-being. Low androgenic hormone levels even have been joined to bone loss and pathology (a unwellness that causes skinny, fragile bones), possibly explaining the phenomenon of excessive bone loss in some women who go through ovarian failure or surgical removal of the ovaries.
Low drive and duct xerotes area unit 2 common symptoms practised by some ladies throughout the transition to biological time, making sex uncomfortable or painful. These changes are associated with low steroid hormone still as low androgenic hormone levels. If you recognize any of the following changes, you should see your health care professional to discuss your concerns.
- Have you noticed that it takes longer for your vagina to become lubricated before or during sex?
- Have you noticed that the amount of vaginal lubrication is less?
- Do you have discomfort or pain during vaginal penetration?
- Do you have sex less frequently?
- Do you and/or your partner wish you had sex more often?
- Are you less responsive to sexual stimulation?
- Do you have difficulty reaching orgasm?
- Has your desire for sex decreased?
To identification steroid deficiency, your health care skilled can take into account symptoms like low concupiscence and fatigue. Other conditions that can cause similar symptoms will also need to be ruled out. Blood tests for androgenic hormone and SHBG can seemingly be a part of your analysis. SHBG binds to androgenic hormone, making it less available for influencing cellular actions. SHBG levels will vary dramatically in response to oral sex hormone medical care following biological time or to oral contraceptives. In some ladies, SHBG changes are modest and have minimal effect on free androgen levels, while in others, it can increase greatly and give rise to lowered sex drive (undesirable) or reduced free androgenic hormone and a ensuing decrease in aspect effects like skin disease and hairiness (desirable)
Blood testing for testosterone in hypoandrogenic women is problematic. Health care professionals have not reached a consensus about what constitutes low levels in women, and levels at the lower end of the female range are difficult to measure with many commercially available laboratory tests. For this reason, Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend against making a formal diagnosis of androgen deficiency.
The causes of androgen deficiency are varied. The most common reason behind low steroid is aging. If your symptoms trouble you, you will wish to speak to your health care skilled concerning steroid replacement.
Androgen deficiency may be a particular problem if:
- Your ovaries have been removed
- You have undergone early menopause (generally defined as menopause occurring prior to age 40)
- You have Turner’s syndrome, a genetic growth disorder that occurs in about one in 2,000 girls that arises when one, or part of one, of the two X chromosomes is missing (two X’s code for a female, an XY for a male). This is a condition in which the ovaries fail to develop.
- You are postmenopausal
- You have undergone chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer
Other conditions related to low androgenic hormone embody neural structure amenorrhoea (absence of catamenial periods ensuing from excessive diet and exercising) and hyperprolactinemia (characterized by high levels of gonadotrophic hormone, the secretion that drives milk production when a woman breastfeeds). Additionally, a spread of ductless gland tumors also are related to low production of androgenic hormone, further as different hormones.
Sometimes there’s no obvious explanation for sex hormone deficiency. Otherwise healthy girls of fruitful age will suffer from low androgens, which may be confirmed with blood tests and when different potential causes of low concupiscence and fatigue square measure eliminated.
To exclude different potential causes of low concupiscence and fatigue, your health care skilled could raise you regarding past psychological or relationship issues and check for different potential causes of fatigue, such as depression, hypothyroidism and iron deficiency.
If you are postmenopausal and are taking hormone replacement therapy (estrogen alone or an estrogen/progestin combination), your estrogen levels may be checked to ensure your estrogen dosage is high enough. Therapy with oral estrogens (oral estradiol) and conjugated estrogens (conjugated equine estrogen or synthetic conjugated estrogens) or esterified estrogens can be difficult because oral estrogens are metabolized to estrone, which can be tough to live, and conjugated and esterified estrogens square measure mostly composed of {estrogenic|steroid secretion|steroid|sex hormone} compounds not measured in commercially out there hormone tests. Transdermal estrogens (patches, gels, injections, etc.), are more easily assessed with commercial laboratory tests.
Treatment
Androgen disorders cannot be cured but they can be treated, usually with medication. If you’re overweight, losing as very little as five to ten % in weight will restore fertility and reduce hirsuteness in some girls with sex hormone excess.
Treatment may also include oral contraceptives. Keep in mind if you’re of fruitful age, the proper birth control pill selection will cut back hyperandrogenic symptoms, while the wrong one can make them worse. When you hear the term oral contraceptives or contraception pills, it most frequently refers to “combination pills”—pills that contain each steroid and steroid. The estrogen used is almost always ethinyl estradiol in varying doses, but numerous progestins are used, also in varying doses. The key is the type of progestin included. Some progestins will mimic androgens and create symptoms worse, but some avoid this problem, allowing the estrogen in birth control pills to raise levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), reducing blood levels of free testosterone and improving symptoms. Standard-dose birth control pills, which contain 35 mcg of ethinyl estradiol, may be preferable in these circumstances to pills containing lower doses of ethinyl estradiol. Talk to your health care skilled a few pill formulation with progestins that don’t have associate degree sex hormone impact and that square measure best-known to elevate SHBG, like norgestimate, drospirenone or desogestrel.
For some girls, the foremost galling symptoms of high levels of sex hormone square measure inflammatory disease and hirsuteness. For women with such symptoms, antihypertensive (Aldactone or Spironol) could also be prescribed. The drug, a diuretic, has few facet effects, and at high doses will clear oily skin and create unwanted hair finer. The combination of spironolactone and oral contraceptives is frequently used. If you are trying to conceive, however, do not take this drug because it can harm an unborn baby.
Bear in mind that it will take up to 9 months to examine impacts on hair growth and a year to attain peak effect. The hair can still be there, but will generally grow more slowly and will be lighter and finer. Electrolysis or repeated laser treatments are the only ways to get rid of the hair for extended periods or permanently.
A class of drugs called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may help some women, though they should be taken only with extreme caution. These medicine inhibit associate degree catalyst crucial to changing androgenic hormone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finasteride (Propecia and Proscar) and flutamide (Eulexin) are in this class. They were designed to treat prostate growth and cancer in men (which is exacerbated by excessive sex hormone levels), while Propecia is also prescribed as a treatment for male pattern baldness.
These drugs are not specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be used in girls, and manufacturers advise against women taking them. If one is prescribed for you, you will have to be especially vigilant about birth control, because both cause birth defects. Flutamide has the potential, although infrequent, adverse effect of fatal liver toxicity.
Treating noninheritable adrenal dysplasia (CAH) may be a bit a lot of complicated, because CAH is characterized not just by high levels of androgens, but by low levels of two other hormones, cortisol and aldosterone. Treatment in associate degree adult lady could incorporate a adrenal cortical steroid, like anti-inflammatory drug, to create up for the missing corticoid.
Androgen Deficiency
If you’re steroid hormone deficient, the advantages of a secretion supplement will build it value your whereas to research whether or not such a drug is correct for you. Although not usually prescribed only to stop pathology, androgen supplements are shown in many studies to not solely slow bone loss, however conjointly to stimulate bone formation in postmenopausal women and women with surgically induced menopause.
Some compounding pharmacies may be able to provide testosterone creams that are applied to the vulva for more targeted delivery of the hormone, but such formulations are not widely available. And there is a lack of published data demonstrating safety, whether or not they are effective and if the specially made batch will be exactly the same each time.
There’s conjointly a prescription combination oestrogen (esterified estrogens) and androgen (oral methyltestosterone) pill that will facilitate combat steroid hormone deficiency. These pills have not been formally approved by the office for such usages, and that they could vary greatly by efficiency. There is conflicting proof and opinion within the medical profession regarding whether or not or not the advantages of the mixture of oestrogen and androgen outweigh the risks, which can embody increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer, adverse effects on blood cholesterol and liver toxicity.
Information from the Nurses’ Health Study indicated that the mixture of oestrogen and steroid hormone wont to treat hypoandrogenism might increase carcinoma risk. However, alternative studies indicated androgens could decrease carcinoma risk. Follow-up studies on the Women’s Health Initiative found women who received estrogen and no progestogen showed a significant decrease in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and breast cancer. This has caused a reconsideration of androgens added to estrogens. Still, the FDA requires demonstration of CVD and breast cancer safety for any product containing androgens or estrogen plus an androgen; that has not been done.
Women with steroid hormone deficiency could like treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. DHEA is accessible over-the-counter while not a prescription within the us and isn’t FDA-regulated. It may improve such androgen-deficiency facet effects as sexual pathology. However, whereas the internal secretion is accessible over the counter, it shouldn’t be taken while not medical steerage.
The quantity and quality of DHEA contained in available preparations are not routinely monitored or tested for contaminants or consistency. Therefore, it is important that your health care skilled monitor blood levels of DHEA, its metabolic product (estrogens and androgens) and any facet effects if you are taking the internal secretion.
Since DHEA is converted to estrogen and testosterone in women, the levels of these hormones should also be measured when taking DHEA. The results of studies on the advantages of DHEA supplementation in each men and girls with steroid hormone deficiency are mixed. A recent review of studies found no convincing proof for the effectiveness of oral DHEA in treating symptoms of hypoandrogenism in ladies.
Androgen supplements square measure typically safe at the dosages prescribed for girls, however doable facet effects embody facial hair growth, deepening of the voice, thinning hair and acne.
Noncosmetic side effects can include fluid retention, liver toxicity and unfavorable changes in your cholesterol levels, which should be monitored periodically. If they occur, side effects can be minimized or eliminated with lower androgen doses and can usually be reversed by discontinuing therapy. Higher doses can cause deepening of the voice or clitoral enlargement, which may be irreversible. However, this is not often seen in doses properly prescribed for women. Early facet effects (those seen within the initial ninety days of treatment) typically embody oily skin or gentle skin condition. These affects may be temporary and go away on their own. If they occur, talk to your health care professional about decreasing your dose before more serious side effects occur.
Research continues on testosterone patches, skin gels and vaginal suppositories or creams that could raise androgen levels in women. Testosterone patches for girls, sold under the brand name Intrinsa, have been approved for use in Canada and Europe but not in the United States. These patches have recently been withdrawn from those markets for business reasons, not medical ones. A testosterone-containing skin gel, nasal spray and vaginal suppositories are in clinical trials or pending FDA approval. DHEA containing canal suppositories also are being investigated for female genitals and canal atrophy.
Androgen supplements don’t seem to be the solution for everybody with a slumping physical attraction and fatigue—particularly if you have got any signs of steroid hormone excess, such as hirsutism, acne or thinning hair. Such medications are also ruled out if you are pregnant or nursing.
As your body changes, it is very important to communicate with both your partner and your health care professional. Tell each concerning your symptoms and therefore the changes in your body. Your partner’s support can be helpful to ease the stress caused by symptoms that affect intimacy. Because each lady is exclusive, you and your health care skilled can have to be compelled to work along to work out that treatment possibility best meets your medical and private wants.
 Prevention
Researchers area unit still operating to characterize totally the role of steroids in girls and also the nature of androgen disorders.
You can, however, forestall a number of the worst consequences of androgen-related disorders. If you’re hyperandrogenic, you will be at higher risk for aldohexose intolerance, polygenic disease and high cholesterin. Medication to reduce your androgen levels can reduce these risks, but you may want to talk to a health care professional about monitoring for these conditions and about lifestyle changes (such as diet and exercise) that may facilitate scale back risk.
If you’re hypoandrogenic, supplementing with androgen could facilitate forestall bone loss and pathology and should offer a raise to your sex life and energy levels. Remember that communicating with your partner and health care professional about your symptoms is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and sex life.
And be sure to tell your partner about the treatments recommended by your health care professional. Being open about problems and treatments is the best way to maintain a healthy relationship.
Facts to Know
- Mistakenly thought of as only a male sex hormone, androgens are also natural to the female body, where they are produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands and other tissues.
- Testosterone is the androgen you’ve probably already heard about. Others include dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S).
- Androgens are partly responsible for the growth spurt at puberty and are believed to regulate the function of many organs, including the reproductive tract, bone, kidneys, liver and muscle.
- Androgens have been reported to play a key role in a woman’s sex drive, or libido, cognitive abilities, energy level and sense of well-being.
- Androgens, either directly or indirectly through conversion to estrogen, affect bone cells or the environment surrounding bone cells, leading to better bone health.
- Androgen production drops as you age. By the time you reach menopause, it has dropped 50 percent or more from its peak in your 20s.
- The only time a fulminant drop-off during androgen levels happens is in girls WHO have had their ovaries surgically removed (about 1/2 all androgens square measure made in a woman’s adrenal glands and half in her ovaries).
- If you’re taking associate sex hormone supplement, be careful for “virilizing” aspect effects, like facial hair growth, dilution hair on your head and changes in your voice. If associate sex hormone dose is just too high, it will have adverse effects on your steroid alcohol levels.
- The right preventive selection will cut back hyperandrogenic symptoms, whereas the incorrect one will exacerbate them. The key component is the type of progestin included. Talk to your health care skilled a few pill formulation whose steroid hormone part is drospirenone, desogestrel or norgestimate.
- If you have symptoms of hyperandrogenism (hirsutism, acne and/or irregular periods), see a health care professional. If the symptoms stem from polycystic ovary syndrome, you may be at higher risk for heart condition and polygenic disease.
Key Q&A
- Why do women need androgens?Androgens were erstwhile thought of because the “male sex hormones,” however currently we all know that they need a crucial role in girls further, even though women’s levels are much lower than men’s. In women, androgens have over two hundred cellular actions, as well as serving to maintain a healthy drive, preventing fatigue and contributing to a woman’s overall sense of well-being. They conjointly stop bone loss and bone unwellness and play a job within the formation of sex hormone.
- What happens if my body does not produce enough androgens?Your drive, or libido, may drop, and you may experience fatigue and a decline in your overall sense of well-being. Low sex hormone levels can even contribute to bone loss and bone unwellness.
- What happens if my body produces too much androgen?Androgen levels in women peak during their twenties. Then a decline in daily production begins that continues throughout a woman’s life. The only time a fulminant drop-off during androgen levels happens is in girls WHO have had their ovaries removed (about 1/2 all androgens square measure made in a woman’s adrenal glands and half in her ovaries). By the time a lady reaches change of life, blood androgen levels are about half of what they were at her peak.As your androgen levels rise above the normal range, you may experience such “virilizing” effects as facial hair growth, androgenic alopecia (thinning of the hair on your head), acne and oily skin. In addition to these cosmetic effects, if your androgen excess is related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you may experience irregular periods that indicate you are not ovulating. Hyperandrogenism or PCOS can even place you in danger of heart condition, glucose intolerance and diabetes.
- Is medication available to treat hypoandrogenism?Yes, oral androgen is on the market together with esterified estrogens by prescription. This combination isn’t while not its risks, however, therefore if you’re considering this treatment, discuss these risks together with your doctor. In addition, DHEA, a hormone that is converted into both estrogens and androgens, is available without a prescription in the United States but is not FDA regulated. Therefore, observance of bodily fluid oestradiol and androgenic {hormone} levels and aspect effects is important in anyone taking this hormone. Some compounding pharmacies may also be able to provide vulval creams for more targeted delivery. Remember, effectuality and safety studies square measure lacking in non-FDA regulated product.
- What are the side effects of those medications?If the dose is just too high, you’ll expertise symptoms of hyperandrogenism, such as facial hair growth, acne or oily skin, clitoral enlargement and sensitivity or a deepening of your voice. Androgen supplements may additionally negatively have an effect on steroid alcohol levels (thus increasing your risk of heart disease). If you notice any aspect effects, tell your health care professional at once. A lower dose will sometimes resolve aspect effects, and stopping taking it may reverse them altogether.
- I clearly have the symptoms of hypoandrogenism, so why won’t my health care professional prescribe supplements?The symptoms of low sex hormone levels—reduced concupiscence and energy, sense of malaise—mirror those of many other disorders. A health care professional should be cautious and rule out other common problems before considering testosterone replacement, particularly if you are under 40 and have no other condition that would cause hypoandrogenism, such as ovarian failure. A health care professional may want to explore your health history and test for conditions like hypothyroidism and iron deficiency.
- Is medication available to hyperandrogenism?Yes, a range of medicines might facilitate cut back androgen or stop its conversion into a full of life kind. They include oral birth control pills (with drospirenone, desogestrel or norgestimate); spironolactone (Aldactone or Spironol), a diuretic; and flutamide (Eulexin) and finasteride (Propecia), which are used in men to treat prostate growth and cancer and male pattern hairlessness.
- What precautions should I take with those medications?You should adhere to a birth control regimen with added vigilance if a health care professional prescribes an androgen-inhibiting drug. These medications will cause birth defects if taken whereas pregnant. Talk to a health care professional about other possible side effects. See the oral contraceptives topic on this site for a complete discussion of the side effects of birth control pills.
- What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?Polycystic ovary syndrome could be a hyperandrogenic disorder; it’s distinguished by irregular or absent periods, that indicate a lady might not be ovulating.
