The ovaries of women with PCOS contain multiple cysts. Symptoms include irregular periods, reduced fertility, excess or coarse hair on the face, extremities, trunk and pubic area, male-pattern baldness, darkened, thick skin, weight gain, depression and anxiety. One treatment available for many of these problems is spironolactone, a diuretic water pill that blocks the action of male sex hormones.
Women with high testosterone levels, due to either disease or drug use, may experience a decrease in breast size and deepening of the voice, in addition to many of the problems men may have. In recent years, researchers and pharmaceutical companies have focused on the effects of testosterone deficiency, especially among men. The testes produces less testosterone, there are fewer signals from the pituitary telling the testes to make testosterone, and a protein called sex hormone binding globulin SHBG increases with age.
All of this reduces the active free form of testosterone in the body. More than a third of men over age 45 may have reduced levels of testosterone than might be considered normal though, as mentioned, defining optimal levels of testosterone is tricky and somewhat controversial. Some men who have a testosterone deficiency have symptoms or conditions related to their low testosterone that will improve when they take testosterone replacement.
For example, a man with osteoporosis and low testosterone can increase bone strength and reduce his fracture risk with testosterone replacement. As surprising as it may be, women can also be bothered by symptoms of testosterone deficiency.
For example, disease in the pituitary gland may lead to reduced testosterone production from the adrenal glands disease. They may experience low libido, reduced bone strength, poor concentration or depression. There are times when low testosterone is not such a bad thing. The most common example is probably prostate cancer. Testosterone may stimulate the prostate gland and prostate cancer to grow. That's why medications that lower testosterone levels for example, leuprolide and castration are common treatments for men with prostate cancer.
Men taking testosterone replacement must be carefully monitored for prostate cancer. Although testosterone may make prostate cancer grow, it is not clear that testosterone treatment actually causes cancer. Genetic diseases, such as Klinefelter syndrome in which a man has an extra x-chromosome and hemochromatosis in which an abnormal gene causes excessive iron to accumulate throughout the body, including the pituitary gland can also affect testosterone.
Women may have a testosterone deficiency due to diseases of the pituitary, hypothalamus or adrenal glands, in addition to removal of the ovaries. Estrogen therapy increases sex hormone binding globulin and, like aging men, this reduces the amount of free, active testosterone in the body. Currently, testosterone therapy is approved primarily for the treatment of delayed male puberty, low production of testosterone whether due to failure of the testes, pituitary or hypothalamus function and certain inoperable female breast cancers.
However, it is quite possible that testosterone treatment can improve symptoms in men with significantly low levels of active free testosterone, such as:.
However, many men with normal testosterone levels have similar symptoms so a direct connection between testosterone levels and symptoms is not always clear.
As a result, there is some controversy about which men should be treated with supplemental testosterone. Testosterone therapy may make sense for women who have low testosterone levels and symptoms that might be due to testosterone deficiency.
It's not clear if low levels without symptoms are meaningful; treatment risks may outweigh benefits. However, the wisdom and effectiveness of testosterone treatment to improve sexual function or cognitive function among postmenopausal women is unclear.
People with normal testosterone levels are sometimes treated with testosterone at the recommendation of their doctors or they obtain the medication on their own.
Some have recommended it as a "remedy" for aging. For example, a study from Harvard Medical School in found that even among men who started out with normal testosterone results noted loss of fat, increased muscle mass, better mood, and less anxiety when receiving testosterone therapy. Similar observations have been noted among women. However, the risks and side effects of taking testosterone when the body is already making enough still discourages widespread use.
Testosterone is so much more than its reputation would suggest. Levels of testosterone begin to fall as a result, so negative feedback decreases and the hypothalamus resumes secretion of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone.
The effect excess testosterone has on the body depends on both age and sex. It is unlikely that adult men will develop a disorder in which they produce too much testosterone and it is often difficult to spot that an adult male has too much testosterone. In both males and females, too much testosterone can lead to precocious puberty and result in infertility. In women, high blood levels of testosterone may also be an indicator of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Women with this condition may notice increased acne , body and facial hair called hirsutism , balding at the front of the hairline, increased muscle bulk and a deepening voice. There are also several conditions that cause the body to produce too much testosterone. The use of anabolic steroids manufactured androgenic hormones shuts down the release of luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone secretion from the pituitary gland, which in turn decreases the amount of testosterone and sperm produced within the testes.
In men, prolonged exposure to anabolic steroids results in infertility, a decreased sex drive, shrinking of the testes and breast development. Liver damage may result from its prolonged attempts to detoxify the anabolic steroids.
Behavioural changes such as increased irritability may also be observed. Undesirable reactions also occur in women who take anabolic steroids regularly, as a high concentration of testosterone, either natural or manufactured, can cause masculinisation virilisation of women. If testosterone deficiency occurs during fetal development, then male characteristics may not completely develop.
The child may have reduced development of pubic hair, growth of the penis and testes, and deepening of the voice. Around the time of puberty, boys with too little testosterone may also have less than normal strength and endurance, and their arms and legs may continue to grow out of proportion with the rest of their body. Testosterone levels in men decline naturally as they age.
The production of testosterone starts to increase significantly during puberty and begins to dip after age 30 or so. Testosterone is most often associated with sex drive and plays a vital role in sperm production.
It also affects bone and muscle mass, the way men store fat in the body, and even red blood cell production. Low levels of testosterone, also called low T levels, can produce a variety of symptoms in men, including:. While testosterone production naturally tapers off as a man ages, other factors can cause hormone levels to drop. Injury to the testicles and cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation can negatively affect testosterone production.
Chronic health conditions and stress can also reduce testosterone production. Some of these include:. Testosterone levels decline steadily in adult women, however, low T levels can also produce a variety of symptoms, including:. Low T levels in women can be caused by removal of the ovaries as well as diseases of the pituitary, hypothalamus, or adrenal glands.
A simple blood test can determine testosterone levels. Low testosterone levels could be a sign of pituitary gland problems. The pituitary gland sends a signaling hormone to the testicles to produce more testosterone. But a young teen with low testosterone levels might be experiencing delayed puberty. Moderately elevated testosterone levels in men may produce few noticeable symptoms.
Boys with higher levels of testosterone may begin puberty earlier. Women with high testosterone may develop masculine features. Abnormally high levels of testosterone could be the result of an adrenal gland disorder, or even cancer of the testes.
0コメント