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Androgen in Women After Menopause

Androgen is a male hormone, but women possess it as well. Androgen is produced by fat cells, a woman's ovaries and her adrenal glands.

  1. What It Does

    • Androgen (testosterone and androstenedione) is converted into the female hormone, estrogen.

    Decline

    • Androgen levels start dropping when a woman is in her 20's. When a woman reaches peri-menopause, the period of time leading up to menopause, or the complete cessation of her menstrual period, she may experience a dip in androgen levels, according to Healthwomen.org.

    Ovulation Ceases

    • By the time a woman reaches full menopause, her androgen levels have decreased by 50 percent or even more because she is no longer ovulating. Ovulation results in a boost of mid-cycle androgen levels that she is no longer experiencing.

    Outcome

    • Androgen deficiency in a menopausal woman can result in loss of libido, fatigue, sleep disruptions, low self esteem and low motivation, as well as reduced bone density, according to Women's-health-concern.org.

    Possible Treatment

    • Some women opt for testosterone replacement, which is delivered via an injection, gel, implant or patch.

    After Menopause

    • According to the National Institutes of Health and The Jean Hailes Foundation, postmenopausal ovaries continue to produce testosterone or androgen. The biggest decline in androgen levels in women occurs in the reproductive years and does not change drastically as a result of natural menopause. However, Medscape.com cites a 2001 conference at Princeton in which androgen deficiency in menopausal women was studied. This study concluded that androgen production declines after natural menopause and some women may benefit from androgen and estrogen therapy. However, the recommendation was against the general use of androgen therapy at menopause until further studies are done.

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