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Androgen Dominance & Premenopause

Generally, when we discuss women's hormones we think of estrogen and progesterone; however, testosterone is a vital hormone as well. When everything is clicking hormone-wise, a woman should look and feel great. When the hormones get out of whack, which often happens during premenopause (also called perimenopause), the result can be disconcerting for the woman. When there is too much testosterone, it is called androgen dominance.

  1. The Good Part

    • The good part about testosterone (androgen) is that it fuels a woman's sex drive, strengthens her bones, elevates moods, helps soothe menopausal symptoms, and increases energy and sexual sensation in the genitals and nipples, according to Content4reprint.com.

    The Ups and Downs of Androgens

    • Too much testosterone in females can result in endometriosis, PMS, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), tumors and ovarian cysts. PCOS is characterized by insulin resistance, hyper-androgenism and chronic menstrual irregularities. If a woman is suffering from androgen dominance she may experience weight gain, fluid retention, irregular menstrual periods, fatigue, acne, hair loss and unwanted hair sprouting up on her body.

    More Bad News

    • Excessive amounts of androgen can also lead to uterine cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, infertility and pituitary adenoma.

    When It's Too Low

    • On the other hand, just as estrogen and progesterone diminish during premenopause (although estrogen levels can get too high at times during this phase of a woman's life) testosterone (androgen) can also diminish, which can cause depression and lead to porous bone disease (osteoporosis).

    Out of Balance

    • Zrtlab.com explains that androgen dominance is the result of imbalanced hormones. When there are too many androgens relative to estrogen or progesterone, which may happen during premenopause, this will cause the symptoms described above.

    Progesterone Cream

    • Dr. John Lee explains that if testosterone stays in a woman's body for too long, which can happen if estrogen and progesterone are not functioning properly, this can result in androgenic characteristics, such as hair loss, acne and excess body hair. He recommends using a natural progesterone creme to battle physical issues that are caused by androgen dominance.

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