The Importance of Testosterone in Women and How It Affects Your Health
When discussing hormones and women’s health, estrogen and progesterone are the first two hormones that come to our attention. But there is one more important hormone whose role is also crucial for women’s health – testosterone. Even though this hormone is usually linked more with men, it is just as important for women. To improve your health, you should know how testosterone affects your body.
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is an androgen hormone also produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands in women. Although women have lower levels of this hormone than men, it is also important for maintaining muscle mass, energy, mood, and even sexual function.
Why Women Need Testosterone
Helps the Muscle and Bone
Testosterone helps in the maintenance of muscle mass and bone density, which is very vital for the body. This is because as women grow older, the level of testosterone in the body decreases, which may lead to muscle loss and osteoporosis, meaning that exercise and a good diet become more significant.
Increases Energy and Improves Concentration
Do you have persistent tiredness even after a good night’s sleep? Fatigue could be due to low testosterone levels. This hormone helps to keep the energy up and also improves cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and navigation. However, it’s a hormone that plays a role in energy, mood, and even cognitive function.
Improves Mood and Stress Handling
Testosterone also helps to regulate mood and stress coping. When levels fall, some women can feel anxious or grumpy, even a little depressed. Learning about your hormones can help you stay healthy, and that’s important for your mental health.
Boosts Sex Drive and Improves Sexual Function
Testosterone is closely associated with sexual desire. Women with low estrogen levels may lack interest in sex or get little enjoyment out of it. However, there are many causes of low libido, and hormone balance is one of them that can be improved.
Regulates Fat Metabolism and Obesity
Testosterone also has something to do with fat metabolism, which also plays a role in the distribution of body fat. Low levels of this hormone can lead to increased fat around the abdominal area and a greater likelihood of weight gain in the overall composition of the body, particularly in the abdominal area.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women
However, while it is normal to have some decrease in testosterone levels with age, an imbalance can result in certain symptoms such as:
✔ Long-lasting tiredness
✔ Reduced muscle power
✔ Low sex drive
✔ Mood swings or depression
✔ Confusion or ‘foggy’ feeling
✔ Weight gain and increased body fat
How to Naturally Support Healthy Testosterone Levels
Do not forget to manage stress: Hormones are balanced by stress. Some of the ways to reduce stress include meditation, yoga, and deep breathing.
Include Strength Training: This is because resistance training and high-intensity workouts are a great way of boosting the production of natural testosterone.
Eat a Hormone-Supporting Diet: Foods rich in healthy fats, lean proteins, and micronutrients like zinc and vitamin D can help support hormone function.
Get Quality Sleep: Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Sleep disorders have a reverse effect on testosterone levels and other hormones in the body.
Seek Advice From a Health Care Professional: If you have low testosterone, then you should seek advice from a healthcare professional to see if there is a need to do a hormone test to see the best course of action to take.
Controlling Health Status
Knowledge of the role of testosterone in women’s health gives you the power to decide what is best for your body. No matter how old you are or what you want to achieve, whether it is to have more energy, build your body, or just feel better, testosterone is an important hormone that should be balanced.
In case you are having some symptoms of hormonal imbalance, do not hesitate to change your lifestyle or seek advice from a healthcare professional at Axios Health and Wellness, located at 700 Ken Pratt Blvd suite 108, Longmont, CO 80501. Your health is precious, and knowledge is power to help you be as healthy as you can be.