I am really losing patience, all tho I have only been taking the BHRT for 2 short months!I just wonder if a person with extremely low testosterone should be on a higher dose of testosterone?My Dr. prescribed me 0.5mg of Testosterone and my saliva test came out to be an 8 and the range is 16-55. My range thru blood when I had it first tested was 27 if I remember right?Even for blood range Dr. Vliet recommends it being in the 40-60 range? I have spoke to women that are on 2-5mg testosterone?How does one get that range UP to where it needs to be on just 0.5mg of testosterone?????

Now, the Dr. tells me I shouldn't feel a thing from the treatment of creams at 2 months it is to early..I shouldn't expect any kind of results until 5 months - 1 year. I just can't believe this?My aunt hasn't been on BIO's as long as I have & when they change her script, the pharm. tells her it could be 2 days before she tells any difference and her Dr. tells her it could be a week?What is so different about me??I am on the same things??

I am so totally exhausted, I have no sex life, no desire to do ANYTHING in that area or in any area for that matter HAHA. I keep telling my husband I am SOOOO tired, I just don't think he gets it?I want to feel alive again?I am tired of feeling like I just exist, like a blob of nothing walking on the earth.

I exercise & it makes it even worse, I have ZILCHO energy level after that. I can't keep up with my house work, everything feels so overwhelming. I hate it

I read about how testosterone gives you your libido, your energy & your sense of well being back. Getting all your hormones straight for that matter makes everything better, but?I'm really struggling here.
Amber

For me, it's been the increase in estrogen that gives me that sense of well being an finally my libido..... I'm only on about 0.5 T and taking 1.5-2.0 E although I do sometimes bump the T up a little too but not often. As I've mentioned in other threads, while I was on the compounded E, my blood levels weren't increasing and I didn't feel good at all. I switched to the Estragel and now the oral Estrace and I'm feeling much much better. For whatever reason the compounds weren't working for me.

I think I'd be looking for another doctor though if I had one that told me I'd have to wait a year. I'm too impatient and too menopausal for that.

Good luck!

Carol
You may have felt a sense of well being from estrogen but it is testosterone that gives libido-not estrogen. Here is just one quote from Leslie Schover, Ph.D:
"Estrogen does not have any impact on a woman's desire for sex. Estrogen works directly on the vagina to help it produce moisture and stay stretchy. The hormone that affects women's desire is testosterone, which acts in the brain to promote interest in sex. However, a woman only needs a very small amount of testosterone or related hormones to feel desire for sex."

There is absolutely no need for estrogen other than for vaginal health and in some cases, well-being which may indirectly make one feel more interested.

Amber- Testosterone acts differently than estrogen in women. Where we need a constant level of estrogen, testosterone will build up and stay in the system for ages.Although you are only on a low dose of testosterone your doctor is probably doing the right thing in getting you to build your levels slowly. Once you have enough you will find your libido, but if you have too much, it will cause you to feel dreadful and actually you may find you have no libido at all. There is a sensitive window where testosterone is effective and you don't want to miss the mark! Having said that maybe you could try upping your dose for a while to get a faster result? I got my libido back in about a week but then I overdosed because I used too much too fast and lost it again
I have been using testosterone without added estrogen for about two years in tiny amounts and I have a good libido.This is how I know a bit about it- I did my research

Actually estrogen can cause libido to drop because it binds up free testosterone-so make sure you are not using too much E in relation to T.
Hope that helps-be patient it will happen
janet c

Hi Janet,

I'm not going to disagree that testosterone does help our libido but for me personally while it helped me experience deeper orgasms, it didn't increase my desire for sex. It was only after increasing my levels of estrogen that I feel more "womanly" more sexy and desirable therefor increasing my desire for sex. (I also think this is why sex for men and women are different, men don't have to 'feel' sexy to want sex, they just have the physical desire. )

Although, I have been taking T for a little over a year so I suppose it's possible that Amber's doctor was correct and it just took a year for it to kick in or as I suspect, you are much more balanced in your E&P than I was prior to switching to the oral E and you experience the addition of T whereas I was only feeling miserable or half dead.

I always come back to thinking this is all about having balance... not how much of this or that but having a proper balance between them all and that's what makes all this so hard... the balance is so precarious...

Amber, I hope we haven't confused you...

Carol
I do think you may be right! I admit I don't feel womanly in the way I used to sexually. From what I have read though, this is usually what happens to women after the menopause if they don't use HRT-testosterone becomes dominant and they often become more sexually aggressive.
I do miss those womanly feelings but low dose estradiol disappointingly turned me into a witch and made me feel spiteful and physically ill. I have had to admit defeat as estrogen just doesn't suit me

I am glad it has worked for you anyway-I am envious.

janet c

Testosterone confusion after stopping all hormones for 7 days. Can somebody explain to me what happened?

I am on BHRT since Feb.09, added Womens Testosterone only in May. The Instructions sheet said....should stop all Hormones every 4-6 months for 7-10 days to improve RECEPTOR SENSITIVITY and/or ALLOW A PERIOD....estrogen CAN thicken the ...lining of the uterus. OK, 3-4 days I had little cramps like getting a period, but I did not. I felt fine, but I started to miss my hormones. After a week I started all hormones again...and now comes the good part: after a few days, my sexuell feelings went up like I didn't feel it the past few years. I can't tell you how happy I was with my husband. I even took only half of the testosterone dose for the next 3 days and it was still really intense!
This all lasted ONLY 4 days!!! How do I get it back? Does anybody know what dose of the testosterone I should take? Any thoughts?

I am on Womens Testosterone Gel 5mg/ml, twice a day 0.2 ml

My total testosterone before hormon, my blood test result was 37 (range 20-76)
after adding the testosterone, 6 weeks later, blood test was 58

It seems I'm doing well on my other hormones.

Janet, Are you using bhrt cream or gel. I'm using the topical cream and been using it for three weeks and nothing.

I just started bioidenticals 3 weeks ago. I'm 57, 8 years post menopausal, and had no energy and no sex drive. Saliva tests showed estrogen at <.5 (practically non existent), testosterone at 11 (very low) and a more normal progesterone level. The doctor started me on the lowest doses of hormones I have ever heard of, compounded creams of 0.1 mg of biest with 0.1 mg of testosterone in the morning. (Yes, that's 0.1 as in one tenth of a milligram). 0.1 mg of biest and 25 mg. of progesterone in the evening. 1 mg of estriol vaginally every night for a month, to be reduced to every other night the second month and once or twice a week after that. And 25 mg. of pregnenolone in capsules in the morning. When I saw the doses, I had no faith in the hormones, but I've been having a few sexual thoughts the last week or so, and am not thinking "ewww" when I see kissing or sex scenes on TV or in the movies. Could it actually be working? I get tested again in Dec. I think this doctor takes his time finding the right dose, and I'm also thinking that me being so many years post menopausal might have made him hesitant to give me "too much too soon".

Hi:
I started on Bioidentical Progesterone about 2 months ago, after reading your articles I have left a message for my Dr. to see if she will give me a small amount of testosterone, the progesterone alone has not helped with the libido, she had asked me to take DHEA, but it did not agree with me. From my saliva test my testosterone was 15, which I believe is low. Do you think the T will help? She is a little bit conservative, so not sure if she will give the OK.
Jpie

Wildflower
How are you feeling on the estrogen and estriol after 8 years without? I can't use either with any success and I think it may have something to do with the fact I was forbidden estrogen for 3 years following my cancer surgery and my body got used to being without it.

I have been playing around with estradiol gel and I dilute it in some oil for vaginal use. I am surprised how I now feel sexually. It has been so long since I was able to feel womanly it has been quite a shock.It is completely different to using just testosterone which did bring back sexual feelings but differently-more like a man I suppose. It was better than nothing but I used to feel so COLD emotionally. I agree with what CarolH says on that score.

Unfortunately apart from that, estrogen makes me feel DIRE and sooo anxious. Even my diluted dose which is weeny still turns me into a wreck.
I still use a tiny bit once or twice a week because it has brought back my emotions but if I overdo it I can't function.
Estriol makes me weepy depressed and kills my libido even though it is weaker than estradiol, so I keep away from it.
I still use the testosterone as it really helps but I don't like it on its own any more .

janet c

Janet,

I haven't been completely without estrogen for 8 years (fortunately). About one year post menopause I was put on vagifem, which is a very low dose of estradiol in tablet form to be used vaginally for vaginal dryness and atrophy. My doctor says even though it was a low dose it did get into my system somewhat. I think it kept my "estrogen receptors" working. I stopped the vagifem for a week before the saliva testing at my doctor's request - he wanted my true estrogen level without any estrogen supplementation.

I think I'm fine so far with the estrogen - but look at the doses, they're SO low. Biest is 80% estriol and 20% estradiol - but 0.1 mg - one tenth of a milligram - twice a day! The estriol vaginally is a whole 1 mg every night but it is a very weak estrogen and in a couple of months it won't be more than twice a week. I think the estrogen is making me more sentimental or sensitive. Sometimes tears come into my eyes from some stupid TV show or something - those things haven't "touched" me in a long time.

jpie, I think 15 is a low testosterone level. A lot of doctors WON'T give you testosterone, or they'll try to give you the FDA approved Estratest with synthetic hormones, including synthetic testosterone, which doesn't usually work, is usually too high of a dose and is just bad news. My gyn wouldn't give me testosterone unless I wanted to consider estratest; I had to go to a doctor who is "out of network" with my insurance and we have to pay out of pocket - very expensive too. It will be worth it if it makes me feel better.

[quote name='wildflowerwildflower' date='Oct 9 2009, 02:28 AM' post='313272']
"Janet,

I haven't been completely without estrogen for 8 years (fortunately). About one year post menopause I was put on vagifem, which is a very low dose of estradiol in tablet form to be used vaginally for vaginal dryness and atrophy. My doctor says even though it was a low dose it did get into my system somewhat. I think it kept my "estrogen receptors" working. I stopped the vagifem for a week before the saliva testing at my doctor's request - he wanted my true estrogen level without any estrogen supplementation.

I think I'm fine so far with the estrogen - but look at the doses, they're SO low. Biest is 80% estriol and 20% estradiol - but 0.1 mg - one tenth of a milligram - twice a day! The estriol vaginally is a whole 1 mg every night but it is a very weak estrogen and in a couple of months it won't be more than twice a week. I think the estrogen is making me more sentimental or sensitive. Sometimes tears come into my eyes from some stupid TV show or something - those things haven't "touched" me in a long time. "

(((wildflower)))

I know -this is the problem I am having. Apart from the anxiety I can't stop crying even on a really small dose. I do love the feeling of being able to cry at moving things again but I get completely overewhelmed.
I was using Vagifem during Peri but even then it made me ill. I am super-sensitive to estrogen!
I wonder if it WILL get better with time. Your doses are tiny-mine is miniscule.

janet c