His and Her Health

Hi everyone,

It's been some years since I been on this forum, because I finally found the solution for my lacking libido. Or so I thought.

Testosterone worked miracles for me at first. I have been using it for aprrox 4 years now.... but sadly, the last few months the Androgel I use, is losing it's effect... I can still orgasm, but the quality is bad & the frequency is becomming less and less...

I have just turned 42, still have menses (but ever so slightly). My menstrual cycle only lasts approx 23 days (has been for the past decade) and the bleeding is reduced to a few drops per month... So I'm probably peri-menopausal.

But what to do? Could adding progesterone/estrogen help? I really don't know what to do! Any input would be appreciated!

Maria

Maria, please visit our companion website where there is a wealth of information on peri and menopausal symptoms and treatment. www.redhotmamas.org and also www.menopausewise.com

I also used testosterone by itself like you and after some years had to make the change. It may not be that the androgel is losing its effect, but that your hormones have continued to change to the point where it's no longer enough.

Try to find a good naturopath who works with women's hormonal issues. That's what I finally did and now I'm using a combination of testosterone/estrogen cream vaginally and progesterone orally. Nothing will make orgasms feel like they did when you were 20, but it does help more than testosterone alone.

Also have your thyroid levels checked. That can make a difference too.

Hi girls,

Thanks for your replies, they are very helpful.

@Eva,
that's so interesting! I was under the impression once testosteron was working, it would continu to do so... (nasty little surprise here). Good to hear I'm not alone in this issue. As a matter of fact, I do have hypothyroidism, but levels are checked 2x a year and so far so good. A while back I tried the estrogen vaginal capsules (estriol), but they really made me itch... I'll turn to my gynaecologist for options.

What my naturopath explained to me was that it's not so much the testosterone as the balance between T and E. If your estrogen levels have dropped off over the last couple of years, then they may be out of balance. I know there's controversy about this, but it seems to be working for me.

As for nasty little surprises, menopause has been full of those. I expected dryness, hot flashes, mood swings, etc. No one EVER told me I'd stop feeling orgasms - even when my libido remained strong.

Dear Maria:
The symptoms you describe are common after prolonged use of testosterone. The reason this happens is that you most likely have become desensitized to the type of testosterone and/or the delivery system it is in. The receptors become oversaturated or production of the T receptor decreases and it is not getting absorbed appropriately into the cell or through the blood brain barrier. Do not give hope, changing the dose, type of tesosterone, and delivery system and/or supplementing with a natural or medical product that enhances dopamine production usually resolves the problem. I would be happy to speak with you further as it is a complicated issue, testoterone is not yet FDA approved in woman and needs to be written off label etc.

Best regards,
Jennifer R. Berman, MD
Director Berman Women's Wellness Center
Beverly Hills, CA
310-772-0072 or 310-663-5313
drjennrberman@gmail.com

Dear Dr. Berman,

It's an honour to read your reply!

I had been using Androgel (25 mg every 2 days) for almost a year. Now I've switched back to Andractim (androstanolone dihydrotestosterone) but this isn't working either. I'm hesitant of injections because of weight gain.

I always wonder about androgen receptors in the female body. Are they able to multiply under the influence of exogenous testosterone? As you can see, I've already tried several things and fear I've worn my receptors out...

Dopamine enhancers don't thrill me too much: I've tried Wellbutrin in the past and this gave me horrendous anxiety. The only natural dopamine enhancer I can think of, in my limited knowledge, is L-Tyrosine.

Thank you very much for your reply.

Kind regards,
Maria

Dear Dr. Berman,

I spoke out of turn with my last post, I realise now.

Shortly after switchting testosterone types, my libido returned. (I went from Androgel to Andractim - the latter containing androstanolone). And I'm doing fine again!