Summary:

In this episode of The Retreat Radio, PA Heather kicks off a hormone therapy series by breaking down testosterone.

While many people associate testosterone with men, Heather explains why it is also essential for women and how low levels can affect energy, mood, libido, muscle mass, bone health, cardiovascular health, and quality of life.

Heather walks through testosterone therapy options, including creams, gels, oral testosterone, liposomal oral formulations, injectable testosterone cypionate, and pellets. She discusses pros and cons, absorption issues, dosing challenges, insurance limitations, and why some methods may work better than others.

The episode also covers key lab markers, including free testosterone, total testosterone, SHBG, DHEA, estrogen, and hematocrit, and why optimizing hormones requires more than one lab value.

Finally, Heather discusses why there is still no FDA-approved testosterone product for women in the United States and highlights efforts to improve access to evidence-based hormone care.

Keywords: testosterone therapy, testosterone replacement therapy, TRT, testosterone for women, low testosterone symptoms, testosterone pellets, testosterone injections, oral testosterone, liposomal testosterone, testosterone cream, testosterone gel, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, bioidentical hormones, free testosterone, SHBG, DHEA, hormone optimization, menopause hormones, perimenopause hormones, female testosterone therapy, testosterone side effects, testosterone monitoring

Key Topics:

• Why testosterone matters in women and men
• Symptoms of low testosterone
• Testosterone and libido, energy, mood, muscle mass, and bone health
• Total testosterone vs free testosterone
• Understanding SHBG and DHEA
• Critical lab markers for testosterone therapy
• Monitoring hematocrit and estrogen levels
• Testosterone creams and gels
• Oral testosterone and first-pass metabolism
• Liposomal oral testosterone
• Injectable testosterone cypionate
• Testosterone pellet therapy
• Pellets vs injections vs oral testosterone
• Insurance coverage for testosterone therapy
• Why women lack FDA-approved testosterone options
• Optimizing hormones vs treating to "normal" lab ranges
• The future of women's hormone therapy
• The work of Kelly Casperson to improve access to testosterone therapy for women

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Hormone Therapy

01:42 Understanding Testosterone in Women

07:37 Monitoring Testosterone Therapy

12:24 Forms of Testosterone Therapy

17:57 Insurance and Accessibility Issues

20:55 Advocacy for Women's Hormone Health

Resources:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Kelly Casperson's Instagram

Kelly Casperson's Podcast: You Are Not Broken