The reasonable question is why does replacing testosterone lead to atrophy? Theoretically, you are taking testosterone because you have low testosterone, and you are just replacing to to a normal value. It used to be that we did not give testosterone shots unless both the level was below 300 ng/dl, and there were some symptoms of low testosterone.
Now the popular clinics (Low T) just seem to give it upon request. It used to be reasonable to aim for a level of about 600. Now many are far above 1000. Most of these clinics use injectable testosterone, as this is quite profitable to sell them the drug. The drug will work in most everyone; that is increase muscle mass, increase libido, increase frequency of erotic dreams, and increase masturbation. This occurs both in men and women. It has little effect on erectile dysfunction unless the testosterone level is quite low. It ends up testosterone treatment may make you feel better, but may not increase the amount of sex you have.
When you give shots, the level is higher soon after the shot, and lower just before the next shop. The initial high level suppresses endogenous T production, and it does not recover completely when you get the next shot.
It is far better to use the gel. The levels do not fluctuate as much (you take it daily), and hence does not suppress the production (unless you are giving yourself too large a dose. You can actually measure the level and adjust the daily dosage to keep the T level below 1000.
Women require about a tenth as much testosterone. Clitoral hypertrophy means you are getting too much. The best way for a woman to determine if she is getting too much is to observe leg hair growth. Women have a good sense to evaluate if the leg hair is getting too coarse when shaving. Most women are using topical testosterone, and it is easy to decrease the dose.
My female trainer encouraged me to watch a young woman change as she began training. She was perhaps 135 lbs and 17% fat? Within two months she was maybe 140, 7% fat, with a penile bulge, bench pressing over her weight and pimples across her back.
Would you agree that she is getting too much testosterone? In the past, (30 years ago), I had been referred patients who were undergoing gender change. Of course, most were men going to women who required estrogen, but a few were going the other direction. The dose of testosterone for these patients was about 200 mg a month. The patient you described is getting this dose.
An appropriate dose for women not undergoing gender change would make her somewhat stronger, but would not affect their appearance that much. A much lower dose would treat their main symptom, which was usually not lack of muscle growth, but rather decreased libido and decreased frequency of orgasm. In contrast,, men do not have increased frequency of orgasm during sex while using testosterone, unless their level is quite low.
Testosterone can be given to women, usually as a cream or subcutaneous pellet. Clitoral hypertrophy indicates too high a dose. Better just to monitor leg hair growth for coarseness while shaving, and lower the dose if this appears.
Anecdotally, I believe there is a similar issue with males taking steroids in order to ‘buff up’, where not only do their testicles shrink, but their penises as well. The going ‘joke’ has been about men with extremely muscular bodies that attract women, only to find that their appendage is less than anticipated.
Maybe 20 years ago I watched men at the gym inject each other with androgens. They scheduled doses in a “stack” to achieve their goals. I asked how they designed this schedule - “the guy at the store” (they explained that steroids were sold for cash and you got free advice).
Maybe a few months later i noticed breasts growing on a few of them. I wanted to tell them they needed anti estrogen but couldn’t risk it due explosive temperament.
It's like with any other drug: short-term gain for long-term catastrophic loss
The reasonable question is why does replacing testosterone lead to atrophy? Theoretically, you are taking testosterone because you have low testosterone, and you are just replacing to to a normal value. It used to be that we did not give testosterone shots unless both the level was below 300 ng/dl, and there were some symptoms of low testosterone.
Now the popular clinics (Low T) just seem to give it upon request. It used to be reasonable to aim for a level of about 600. Now many are far above 1000. Most of these clinics use injectable testosterone, as this is quite profitable to sell them the drug. The drug will work in most everyone; that is increase muscle mass, increase libido, increase frequency of erotic dreams, and increase masturbation. This occurs both in men and women. It has little effect on erectile dysfunction unless the testosterone level is quite low. It ends up testosterone treatment may make you feel better, but may not increase the amount of sex you have.
When you give shots, the level is higher soon after the shot, and lower just before the next shop. The initial high level suppresses endogenous T production, and it does not recover completely when you get the next shot.
It is far better to use the gel. The levels do not fluctuate as much (you take it daily), and hence does not suppress the production (unless you are giving yourself too large a dose. You can actually measure the level and adjust the daily dosage to keep the T level below 1000.
Women require about a tenth as much testosterone. Clitoral hypertrophy means you are getting too much. The best way for a woman to determine if she is getting too much is to observe leg hair growth. Women have a good sense to evaluate if the leg hair is getting too coarse when shaving. Most women are using topical testosterone, and it is easy to decrease the dose.
Kelly Gregg MD Sexuality in Marriage After Fifty
My female trainer encouraged me to watch a young woman change as she began training. She was perhaps 135 lbs and 17% fat? Within two months she was maybe 140, 7% fat, with a penile bulge, bench pressing over her weight and pimples across her back.
Would you agree that she is getting too much testosterone? In the past, (30 years ago), I had been referred patients who were undergoing gender change. Of course, most were men going to women who required estrogen, but a few were going the other direction. The dose of testosterone for these patients was about 200 mg a month. The patient you described is getting this dose.
An appropriate dose for women not undergoing gender change would make her somewhat stronger, but would not affect their appearance that much. A much lower dose would treat their main symptom, which was usually not lack of muscle growth, but rather decreased libido and decreased frequency of orgasm. In contrast,, men do not have increased frequency of orgasm during sex while using testosterone, unless their level is quite low.
Testosterone can be given to women, usually as a cream or subcutaneous pellet. Clitoral hypertrophy indicates too high a dose. Better just to monitor leg hair growth for coarseness while shaving, and lower the dose if this appears.
Anecdotally, I believe there is a similar issue with males taking steroids in order to ‘buff up’, where not only do their testicles shrink, but their penises as well. The going ‘joke’ has been about men with extremely muscular bodies that attract women, only to find that their appendage is less than anticipated.
Maybe 20 years ago I watched men at the gym inject each other with androgens. They scheduled doses in a “stack” to achieve their goals. I asked how they designed this schedule - “the guy at the store” (they explained that steroids were sold for cash and you got free advice).
Maybe a few months later i noticed breasts growing on a few of them. I wanted to tell them they needed anti estrogen but couldn’t risk it due explosive temperament.
I’ve noted that females are using Testosterone for their own reasons.
What would other negative effects be besides the enlargement of the clitoris