Musmadar
Member
Thanks for sharing such a nuanced perspective on TRT and HRT for women.Libido for women is a BRAIN thing. Testosterone is a human hormone, not just a male hormone, and not just a sex hormone. There are plenty of non-libido reasons to get on TRT for women, just as there are plenty of non-libido reasons to supplement estrogen as our ovaries stop making it.
Testosterone is approved for hypogonadism in males but just for ‘libido’ in women, which is retarded IMO; Testosterone helps women maintain bone mass, muscle mass, prevents cognitive decline, brain fog, prevents cardiovascular disease, etc.
Testosterone reduces our risk of breast cancer
Having said that, getting on TRT did help with my libido, but not necessarily because it just made me horny in a physical sense. Remember the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy goes from b/w Kansas to technicolor Oz? THAT was what going from 4ng/dl Testosterone to 150-200ng/dl Testosterone was like, and of COURSE, that raised my libido, because my whole world was better. But since medical studies can’t really quantify THAT, they can’t really prescribe for it on label.
My clitoris did swell a bit at first, but as I progress through peri, guess what, vaginal atrophy is a thing, and testosterone isn’t necessarily the answer for that. It may be PART of the answer, but topical vaginal estrogen cream has also shown to be one of the top go-to solutions for vaginal atrophy, which messes up not only our sex drive but also bladder function.
Your wife’s clitoris may grow a bit, but if she’s in peri, or close to meno, the T will likely simply prevent a complete atrophy and help keep things normal. And trust me, a slightly enlarged clitoris is not a bad thing at ALL if you, her partner, know how to love on it
As for E2, the timing of it matters. If women are already post menopausal by 10 years then exogenous E2 is not recommended, because their estrogen receptors have declined since they haven’t received any estrogen in a long time. However, if you’re peri or less than 10 years post menopausal, then E2 is neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective, bone protective, it goes on and on.
The Role of Estrogen Therapy as a Protective Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia in Postmenopausal Women: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature
This is a worthwhile read if you’re starting to dig in to hormone replacement for women when it comes to estrogen. Testosterone in many ways is an easy one; get on it, stay on it, forever. Continue to build muscle and avoid falling, so you don’t end up in the hospital with a broken hip, and then a nursing home. Pubmed has plenty of great recent studies posted about estrogen’s protective effects. The WHI study was a long time ago and fucked women for a long time wrt hormone replacement therapy.
International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health Clinical Practice Guideline for the Use of Systemic Testosterone for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Women
^this one is a good one to learn about the physiology of androgens in women. Yep, we make testosterone. Our OVARIES make it, as well as our adrenals. This article also does a good job of explaining how libido is in our brains (women) and how testosterone is a BRAIN hormone when it comes to libido. But it’s a lot more than that. This is from November 2023 and disputes some of the claims of the 2019 ‘global position statement’ on TRT for women.
TRT and HRT are a big thing right now for women. We don’t need to spend the second HALF of our lives stooped over, tired, devoid of muscle, and foggy brained. F that shit. Our moms never told us about this, our schools never told us about this, and even most of our gynos are woefully uneducated about it.
I've been looking for such a long time for indepth explanation from a female.
Hopefully, more women will feel empowered to explore these treatments and look for their health beyond the narrow focus on libido.
This space has been a really good one to hang out in for a variety of reasons; this community is one that’s been tinkering with hormones for a loooong time and there’s a lot to be gained for me to read through all the wisdom here. I’m getting empowered to homebrew - that’s the next thing on my list
