Testosterone is the main male hormone, which is contained in a small amount in the female body. Many people are mistaken, mistakenly believing that there are no androgens in the fair sex, but this is not so. Moreover, testosterone in the body of women plays a very important function. If the androgen is responsible for the primary and secondary sexual characteristics in the body of a man, the production of semen, performance, sexual desire, physical strength, development of the musculature, , then in the female it is a libido, bone strength, partially operability and vigor of the .
Endocrine excess or deficiency always adversely affects the condition of the body, has a number of certain signs indicating excessive, or insufficient secretion, in particular of male androgen.
Signs of shortage in women:
- chronic decay;
- no sexual desire;
- excessive dryness of the skin;
- enhanced fat deposition;
- a sharp decrease in muscle mass.
Overabundance is characterized by: hypersexuality, hyperactivity, fat deposition by the male type( in the abdominal area), skin greasiness, acne, hair loss on the head, virilization, masculinization. In especially severe cases, hyperandrogenia is manifested by the growth of the clitoris, infertility, a decrease in the timbre of the voice, the appearance of the body's hairiness in the male type.
Testosterone level for women
Before starting to engage in self-treatment, after finding similar signs, one should turn to an experienced endocrinologist, since the symptomatology is too subjective, which may contain many other causes.
There are two types of tests for testosterone - total and free. The analysis for total hormone concentration shows in aggregate the content of active and inactive( protein-bound) forms( free and bound) of androgen in the blood. An active form is a free form, which means that it is more informative. It is best to perform an analysis of the free male hormone levels, rather than the total. In women, an elevated level may primarily indicate hypersecretion of androgens by the adrenal glands or ovaries. If the result showed an amount above the norm, then a survey of these hormone-producing organs should be started.
Norms for women
For women of reproductive age, , the optimal level of the total score is 0.7 to 3 nmol per liter in the blood of .
The normal level of the free form indicator for the fairer sex:
- Up to nine years( in prepubertal) is up to 1.7 nmol per milliliter in the blood.
- In post-pubertal( from nine to eighteen years old) - up to 4.1 nmol per milliliter in blood.
- In the reproductive period of life( from eighteen to forty-five years), the indicator is considered normal to 4.2 nmol per milliliter in the blood.
- When the menopause occurs, the hormone rate is normal to 1.7 nmol per milliliter in the blood. This concentration is also normal during the period of taking combined oral contraceptives.
Testosterone and estradiol in women
Estradiol belongs to the estrogen group. In humans, there are three types of estrogens: estradiol, estrone and estriol. Estrogens are the main group of sex hormones in girls. In men, they are kept in small quantities. Estradiol is the most active hormone, it is produced by the ovaries. Testosterone under the influence of aromatase is converted into estradiol in large quantities in the body of women, so there are so many. In the male body, aromatase is not as active, so androgens are dominant hormones in the stronger sex.
Estrone( also called folliculin), the second most important estrogen group, is made from androstenedione. Estrol is the least active form of estrogen in the body of girls, but during pregnancy its quantity increases dramatically, as it plays an important role for the growth of the uterus. It is produced in a large number of placenta and liver of the child.
A very important indicator of a healthy hormonal background is the ratio of estradiol and testosterone in the girl's blood. As reported above, it is estradiol that is converted from testosterone with aromatase, so the ratio of indicators will directly indicate whether there is a cause for concern and further treatment.
Norm of the ratio of estrogen in the blood of girls
So, the normal ratio of estrogen in the case of the fair sex is 1:10. If the value begins to shift towards the greater side of the androgen, then this should be carefully monitored, and if the ratio drops to 1: 4.5, then urgent urgently needs to be taken, otherwise the hyperandrogenism is inevitable.
No less dangerous is the too high content of estradiol in the maiden body in relation to the male hormone. Hyperestrogenia is a dangerous phenomenon that causes a number of serious complications for a girl in the form of: infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, menstrual cycle disorders( contraction), algodismorrhoea( painful menstruation), obesity, aggressiveness, loss of libido, mastopathy. A large amount of estrogen leads to endometriosis and uterine fibroids, an unbalanced state of mind.
In any case, in addition to high levels of androgens, it is always necessary to monitor the optimal ratio of other, no less important sex hormones, to regularly take tests for estrogens and androgens. If there are suspicious signs of endocrine imbalance, you should always contact the gynecologist immediately.
