Hormones

This page is for answering all the questions you have about testosterone. The information is supplied in three separate parts, to facilitate access.

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Do men and women produce testosterone in the same quantities?

Despite being designated "the Virility Hormone", testosterone is found in women as well as men. For the latter, it is principally provided by the testicles but also from the adrenal glands and the prostate. In women, it is the adrenal glands and the ovaries which secrete this hormone.

So both men and women produce testosterone, but the two sexes are not on a par with each other. The male system secretes 10 to 20 times more of it. However the two need it equally to revive their libido, firm up the figure, reduce fat (and cellulite) and keep good tone...Its a matter of dosage between them all. Too much testosterone can lead to over-developed muscles, a male smell, greasy hair, more marked aggressiveness and a sexual desire which can be embarrassing...

Why take testosterone supplements?

Apart from neutralising certain problems linked to sexuality, ANDROTIV® actually acts on several levels, in particular:

-Provides energy for our daily activities.
-Reassures and helps to overcome obstacles.
-Helps you feel more confident.
-Fuels sexual desire and amorous feelings.
-In men, facilitates erection and ejaculation.
-Firms the body and tones muscle mass.

How do you recognise a deficiency of testosterone?

-In the face: sagging cheek muscles, pale colour, glassy eyes, wrinkles around lips and at corners of eyes, less developed moustache and beard in men.
- General appearance: flabby stomach, slack face, fat on the hips, loss or lack of body hair in men.
- Sexual organs: a flaccid penis, smaller testicles, infected prostate. Loss of sexual desire, weaker erections and ejaculations, lack of clitoral sensitivity.
- Certain behaviour, emotions or states of mind are indicative: permanent fatigue, a tendency to depression, lack of self-confidence, upset sleep, memory loss, lack of creativity, hot flushes.

Recognising good blood testosterone levels

- Monitoring of total testosterone level (abnormal if below 6000 pg/ml in men and 200 pg/ml in women).
- Monitoring of free testosterone level: unfavourable if below 120 pg/ml in men; 4 pg/ml in women.
- A level of SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) is abnormal if it exceeds 45 nmol/l in men, 75 nmol/l in women.

Why use ANDROTIV® rather than any other testosterone treatment?

ANDROTIV® is an effective and easy-to-use gel resulting in a treatment you can administer at home. It also comes in patches, but these are not very attractive and can cause skin irritation. Intra-muscular injections are possible; but this method can prove painful and involves frequent visits to the doctor.

How much testosterone is absorbed by the body with Androtiv, and how long does it last?

About 25 % of the active ingredient, testosterone, actually goes into the bloodstream. This is the general rate for products applied to the skin.

The effect of Androtiv is only felt after time, so you are advised to use it for at least three months. Finally, a hormone supplement only ... supplements. It does not revive production of the hormone in question.

Can Androtiv® be applied directly to the genitals?

As this product also contains alcohol, all direct contact with mucous membranes must be avoided. However it may be applied to the scrotum in men.

Testosterone and aromatisation in female hormones.

Testosterone has many by-products. Some of these are "aromatised" in female hormones and can cause unwanted side-effects.

Other related hormones

Consult the explanatory pages to see how taking testosterone relates to other interactive hormones (oestradiol, DHEA, Cortisol, Aldosterone, the Androgens, Erythropoietine EPO, the growth hormone, insulin, ACTH, Pregnenolone, melatonin, coenzyme Q10).

Hair loss and hormonal treatments

Severe hair loss is caused by a sizeable deficiency in several major hormones. The doctor will prescribe you injections of ACTH and growth hormones, combined by taking DHEA pills, thyroid hormones, androgens and oestrogens: this is multi-hormone therapy. This hormone treatment take a long time but has a real effect on hair re-growth.

ANDROTIV® and Viagra

At present, there has been no research into the use of ANDROTIV® in combination with viagra. ANDROTIV® and viagra act in different ways. Testosterone is a natural hormone produced by our system to balance its metabolism; viagra only acts mechanically at the level of the blood supply to the penis. These two products cannot therefore reinforce each others action.

ANDROTIV® and HIV

At present, testosterone gel is strictly recognised as a treatment for testosterone deficiency, not the HIV virus. On the other hand, use of ANDROTIV® has no known interaction with tritherapy.

ANDROTIV® and depression

Testosterone supplementation brings and heightens the feeling of well-being. Many studies have shown that a low testosterone level correlates with symptoms of depression. It should also be noted that taking anti-depressants often reduces libido.

ANDROTIV® and the heart

Testosterone is a hormone which contributes to reinforcing muscle mass and has several receptors in the heart. As one grows older, weakness of the heart muscle may also be attributed to testosterone deficiency. Testosterone is not only responsible for maintaining protein synthesis in the heart, but contributes to good blood circulation and helps to support good cholesterol levels.

ANDROTIV® and sport

Testosterone is acknowledged to considerably increase muscle mass. This is why sportsmen and -women are fond of it. All the same, in order to enable competitions to be held in conditions of complete equality, the taking of testosterone is forbidden to professional and high-level sportsmen and -women. Over consumption of testosterone could moreover lead to deterioration in the renal system as well as other endocrine problems.

What precautions should I take?

The use of this hormone is categorically contraindicated for men who have suffered or are suffering from prostate or breast cancer. Your PSA (Prostatic Specific Antigen) level should be measured before using testosterone and in the following six months. It must be remembered that an isolated dose when it is moderately elevated (4 to 10 ng/ml) need not mean anything in itself. In fact, depending on age and the increase in size of the prostate, the dose increases steadily without it meaning that there is inevitably cancer present. A low (less than 12 %) free PSA level expressed in a % of the global PSA level may prompt a biopsy.

Can taking hormones constitute a risk to health?

Hormones are produced by our own endocrine glands and thus do not fall into the category of drugs. Therefore, use of the latter is usually accompanied by numerous contra-indications, while taking hormones only involves these in very specific cases (cancer, pregnancy and breast feeding in particular).

This being so, and although you would need to take clearly excessive doses to cause an imbalance to the metabolism, it is necessary to respect whatever dose is prescribed after a blood, urine or even saliva analysis. To be attended by a doctor who is competent in this field, or at the very least have analyses done every 6 months or so, is an elementary and sensible precaution in order to avoid taking hormones which do not suit your needs. The fact remains that HORMONES TAKEN IN BALANCED DOSES DO NOT PRESENT ANY HEALTH RISK.

Undesirable or secondary side effects

Overdosing with androgens can cause a few rare side effects: irritability; weight gain; signs of virilisation in women; acne; hair loss.

Is there a link between testosterone levels and prostate cancer?

Is there a link between testosterone levels and prostate cancer? The reason that it is thought necessary today to routinely eliminate any testosterone in the system in cases of prostate cancer is that this form of cancer is "hormone-dependent". However therapeutic trials for the treatment of this illness combine testosterone and progesterone in precise quantities...

Prostate cancer affects middle-aged men in almost all cases, and while treatment must be managed after the illness appears it is certain that a normal level of testosterone helps to prevent the risk (just as a normal level of phyto-oestrogen helps to prevent breast cancer in women). Men over 50 should therefore monitor their PSA levels regularly. In the current state of knowledge and for this population, this monitoring is a prerequisite of any treatment with ANDROTIV®.

Do androgens make you put on weight?

Applying testosterone gel or other hormonal treatments does not put on weight, quite the opposite! These treatments enable reduction of adipose tissue and firming of muscles.