High Testosterone in Women: Signs, Causes, and Treatment

High Testosterone in Women: Signs, Causes, and Treatment

These are commonly found in pills, Nuvaring, Mirena IUD, and the Nexplanon implant. Combination with synthetic estrogen (as with combination pills and Nuvaring) tends to offset the androgenic effect to some extent. Contemporary anti-doping tests can detect and distinguish between the presence of pharmaceutical (“exogenous”) testosterone and natural (“endogenous”) testosterone with a high level of certainty.

If you think that you may be experiencing high testosterone symptoms, consult your health care provider to determine the cause and to start appropriate treatment for your condition. In severe cases, high testosterone levels in women can lead to obesity and infertility. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a disorder that directly affects the adrenal glands and the production of the body’s hormones. Our Doctors can recommend a care plan for you, based on your symptoms, hormone levels and specific health goals. Excessive alcohol consumption may increase levels of testosterone in premenopausal women, however, research is conflicting.

It’s been found to be more common in some ethnic groups such as people of Hispanic, Mediterranean, Yugoslavian and Ashkenazi Jewish descent. It remains bound to a protein called, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The small amount of testosterone that’s unbound and therefore active, is called freely circulating testosterone (free T). Everyone produces and requires a certain amount of androgen hormones for reproductive development. The difference is just how to know what your testosterone level is much testosterone we have based on our sex-at-birth. There are a lot of misconceptions about testosterone being just a “male” hormone.

In some cases, women with PCOS-related hyperandrogenism no longer have PCOS after significant weight reduction. Most people, however, need continued therapy throughout their lifetime to minimize signs and symptoms of hyperandrogenism. If your provider suspects hyperandrogenism, they’ll likely order blood tests to measure certain hormone levels.

In general, however, adult men may not notice symptoms of too much testosterone. Women with high testosterone develop many noticeable symptoms and signs such as unusual hair growth, obesity, hoarseness, and menstrual irregularities. On physical examination, body mass index, blood pressure, and signs of hyperandrogenism, such as acne and hirsutism, should be evaluated. It also is useful to assess for signs of insulin resistance, such as hypertension, obesity, centripetal fat distribution, skin tags, and acanthosis nigricans. Modified Ferriman–Gallwey Figure 2 scoring evaluates nine areas of the body; a score greater than 8 is indicative of hirsutism 3.

First, exercise and strength training in females does lead to relative increases in testosterone, but the increases are transient and apparently do not lead to effects longer than several hours (174–176). Second, several studies document the strong heritability of testosterone in females, with estimates ranging from 26 to 70 percent (177–179). These findings support the idea that some females have higher testosterone levels due to genetically based factors, and not solely because of environmental factors (e.g., exercise, training, etc.).

It contains phytoestrogens, which may help lower testosterone levels. Often, it is combined with other herbs like licorice for enhanced effects. Metformin, typically used to manage diabetes, can also effectively reduce testosterone levels in women with PCOS. It’s essential to remember that having high levels of testosterone is not necessarily harmful.

Too much estrogen can cause your sex drive to drop and your weight to go up, particularly around your waist and hips. You also may experience changes to your periods — with bleeding either lighter or heavier than normal and your cycle’s timing becoming unpredictable. However, testosterone values of over 150 ng/dL in women would require further evaluation for the most serious causes of hyperandrogenism, such as adrenal tumors.