Justitia
Sun, March 13th, 2005, 02:59 PM
Women's sex drive is driven by their production of testosterone, just like it is for men. However in blood tests, women's range fluctuates between 0 and 90 mcg per deciliter, whereas men fluctuate between 300-1000 mcg/dcl.
When a woman goes thru menopause, her body slows down its production of hormones. Most hormone replacement therapies (HRT) replace the estrogen and the progesterone. Some now include replacements for testosterone.
Intro to standard hormone replacement therapy:
With respect to estrogen, the predominant form of estrogen in a woman's body pre-menopause is estrodial, the predominant form of estrogen post menapause is estrone. Most hormone replacement therapies use estrone (Premarin -derived from female horse urine, estretest, etc.) I use estradiol replacement--as my goal is to get back where I was before menopause. The brand name for that is Estrace--though you can get generics of estradiol--but the quality control in generics is terrible.
see this link here: http://www.menopause-online.com/estrogens.htm#arc2
With respect to progesterone -- most HRT's use a synthetic, progestin, to replace it, e.g., Premarin--the most widely prescribed HRT. Progestin, the synthetic, is associated with a lot of very bad side effects for women, in particular, really bad PMS. I use progestorone, whihc is made from wild yams. It s by presecription. QUality control was tough until the last couple of years when a company came out with Prometrium, which is a brand name of progesterone.
Most of the studies with regard to the "dangers" of HRT with respect to cancer etc. usually use the most popularly precribed HRT's which means Premarin, etc. or estrone and progestin and not the prescription naturals. I am personally of the opinion that if they did the studies with estradiol and pregesterone instead-- that many of those results would disappera. But those are not widely prescribed HRT's.
Testosterone
Only recently has there been some effort to replace testosterone as well. WHen I went thru menopause, about my 3rd year into it, my sex drive dropped--but more significantly my physiological response nearly disappeared--the libido was there but the orgasms were pipsqueaks.
My doctor prescribed testosterone in the form of Methyltestosterone. I tried capsules and cream that was palced in the vaginal area. Both restored my sexula drive, the capsules far more thant the cream. But they both increase my appetitie enormously. On the capsules I would gain 5 lbs in a week easily.
I use the cream sporadically. The more consistantly I use it, the more my physiological response imporves (though never as good as witht he capsules) but so does my appetite.
My doctors suspected it was because the testosterone was "presented" to my body all at once. Checking out with my coach--who works with body builders, agrees. He said I am probably experienceing "spiking" which is something that happens to guys when they take steroids (probably feamles too.)
Terrible bind.
So I have been looking for something that might raise my testosterone levels more naturally.
On another site, I have been learning about an herb that is supposed to be effective for women. (Tribulis --which men use, is not supposed to work on women--though I have not researched that--it was just the considered opinion of a male whose analysis of these things I respect and he thought that the way Tribulus worked -it required male genetalia and whatever they produce--that obviously women don't have.) The thread started out being about Tribulis but as you will see, it evolved: http://www.vizualxcellence.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=4969
On that thread, the following herb, Tongkat Ali was raised as a possibility for women and a link to the following site by Kent Nutrition (who made it clear that they could not vouch fo rthe site--but what i read definitly provoked my interest.)
http://www.lap-band-surgery.org/obesity.cfm/73217835/Tongkat-Ali-and-Weight-Loss-for-Women/
The focuss is on weight loss--but if you read the article further it talks about how it increases women's libido and energy level without increasing appetite. ALso other things that I have read is that you don't feel like you're taking anything.
And another link:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/herbalpowers/builmusbyint.html
Kent is going to be researching this more, as are other people (inclugin myself.) But there is beginning to be an increase in woemn over 42 here and I thought the info might be useful.
When a woman goes thru menopause, her body slows down its production of hormones. Most hormone replacement therapies (HRT) replace the estrogen and the progesterone. Some now include replacements for testosterone.
Intro to standard hormone replacement therapy:
With respect to estrogen, the predominant form of estrogen in a woman's body pre-menopause is estrodial, the predominant form of estrogen post menapause is estrone. Most hormone replacement therapies use estrone (Premarin -derived from female horse urine, estretest, etc.) I use estradiol replacement--as my goal is to get back where I was before menopause. The brand name for that is Estrace--though you can get generics of estradiol--but the quality control in generics is terrible.
see this link here: http://www.menopause-online.com/estrogens.htm#arc2
With respect to progesterone -- most HRT's use a synthetic, progestin, to replace it, e.g., Premarin--the most widely prescribed HRT. Progestin, the synthetic, is associated with a lot of very bad side effects for women, in particular, really bad PMS. I use progestorone, whihc is made from wild yams. It s by presecription. QUality control was tough until the last couple of years when a company came out with Prometrium, which is a brand name of progesterone.
Most of the studies with regard to the "dangers" of HRT with respect to cancer etc. usually use the most popularly precribed HRT's which means Premarin, etc. or estrone and progestin and not the prescription naturals. I am personally of the opinion that if they did the studies with estradiol and pregesterone instead-- that many of those results would disappera. But those are not widely prescribed HRT's.
Testosterone
Only recently has there been some effort to replace testosterone as well. WHen I went thru menopause, about my 3rd year into it, my sex drive dropped--but more significantly my physiological response nearly disappeared--the libido was there but the orgasms were pipsqueaks.
My doctor prescribed testosterone in the form of Methyltestosterone. I tried capsules and cream that was palced in the vaginal area. Both restored my sexula drive, the capsules far more thant the cream. But they both increase my appetitie enormously. On the capsules I would gain 5 lbs in a week easily.
I use the cream sporadically. The more consistantly I use it, the more my physiological response imporves (though never as good as witht he capsules) but so does my appetite.
My doctors suspected it was because the testosterone was "presented" to my body all at once. Checking out with my coach--who works with body builders, agrees. He said I am probably experienceing "spiking" which is something that happens to guys when they take steroids (probably feamles too.)
Terrible bind.
So I have been looking for something that might raise my testosterone levels more naturally.
On another site, I have been learning about an herb that is supposed to be effective for women. (Tribulis --which men use, is not supposed to work on women--though I have not researched that--it was just the considered opinion of a male whose analysis of these things I respect and he thought that the way Tribulus worked -it required male genetalia and whatever they produce--that obviously women don't have.) The thread started out being about Tribulis but as you will see, it evolved: http://www.vizualxcellence.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=4969
On that thread, the following herb, Tongkat Ali was raised as a possibility for women and a link to the following site by Kent Nutrition (who made it clear that they could not vouch fo rthe site--but what i read definitly provoked my interest.)
http://www.lap-band-surgery.org/obesity.cfm/73217835/Tongkat-Ali-and-Weight-Loss-for-Women/
The focuss is on weight loss--but if you read the article further it talks about how it increases women's libido and energy level without increasing appetite. ALso other things that I have read is that you don't feel like you're taking anything.
And another link:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/herbalpowers/builmusbyint.html
Kent is going to be researching this more, as are other people (inclugin myself.) But there is beginning to be an increase in woemn over 42 here and I thought the info might be useful.