3 minute read
Why Testosterone Replacement?
by Ashley Wagner | photo courtesy of Ashley Wagner
Since this issue is focused on health and fitness, we felt it was the perfect time to give you the inside scoop on testosterone therapy and dispel a few myths surrounding this topic. There has been an explosion of popularity surrounding this curious little hormone, and most of the individuals in the 40-and-over age group who have tried it won’t ever go back to life without it. Let’s start with the basics though: what is testosterone?
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Testosterone is a hormone produced normally by both men and women. Among other things, it plays an important role in bone mass, sex drive, maintaining lean muscle mass, mental well-being, and energy. In men, it is produced in the testicles. In women, it is produced mostly in the ovaries and adrenal glands. As you probably suspected, women produce much less than men, but it does not mean it is less important to women. Let me say that again for emphasis — it is not less important to women! As we age, like everything else, our testosterone levels decline. As a result, maintaining lean muscle becomes much harder, and our energy levels and libido often decline. In other words, if you are over 40 and do not like maintaining lean muscle, you don’t like energy, and you don’t enjoy sex, then you should probably stay away from testosterone.
How do we increase testosterone levels? There are several options that I would love to discuss with you in further detail when you come in for a visit, but you can use creams, injections, or pellets to bring your testosterone to a high-normal value. The goal is to optimize your levels. Normal levels in women range from 15 to 70ng/dL. In men, the normal range is from 300 to 1,000ng/dL. What if your level is 15 for a woman or 300 for a man, but you would feel better, think better, and stay leaner at 70-90 for a woman or 1,000-1,100 for a man? Does it not make sense to supplement what your own body makes?
Women often ask if it will make them look masculine, and men worry it may turn them into a muscle-bound freak. The short answer to both of these worries is no. Remember that we are optimizing your levels, not taking you to four, five, or ten times over what is considered normal.
Does insurance cover it? First, we do not accept insurance because we believe insurance does not allow us to spend the necessary time to really focus on you and your hormone goals. We check labs regularly and do things insurance won’t pay for and frankly won’t understand. In the interest of full disclosure, there are places that will accept your insurance if your levels are low enough. However, we provide a higher level of care than insurance allows. We also offer hormone replacement therapy memberships that provide consistent, affordable treatment to our patients.
Playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “Youth is wasted on the young,” and undoubtedly meant it to be humorous. But I firmly believe you can maintain some of that youthful energy by replacing the hormones your body cannot quite produce at the same levels anymore. We see a limited number of clients for hormone replacement therapy and have had a waiting list for this high demand treatment. Give us a call and schedule your appointment today. We would love to meet you and help you optimize your hormones!
Ashley Wagner, Nurse Practitioner
Ashley developed a passion for helping people early in life and elected to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing and a Master’s Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has served as an Emergency Room Nurse at Baylor University Medical Center Level 1 Trauma Center, worked in the Parkland Hospital Emergency Room Level 1 Trauma Center and successfully completed her Critical Care Residency, and excelled into leadership positions including Charge Nurse and became a preceptor for new graduate nurses before pursuing her career as a Nurse Practitioner in Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics. At Live Young Wellness Spa, Ashley now performs injectables and specializes in the medical management for our Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy patients.
