The white count and long COVID snippet was particularly interesting to me as I have been dealing with long COVID for over a year. I went back into my chart and looked at all of my WBC counts and the lowest it’s ever been was 5.4…highest in the 10s. Note I also have endometriosis which puts me on the high inflammation/autoimmune list. Interesting! 🤔
RFK Jr. made big bucks by telling other people not to vaccinate their children, helped to worsen a measles pandemic in Samoa in which 83 children died, and vaccinated his own kids while giving the opposite advice to the public. Apparently it is now an article of wingnut faith to shun vaccination, trust in their “Immune systems” and ignore medical science. Over a million people have died in this country following this rotten advice. Trump and RFK Jr. are also ignoring the next pandemic coming, this time it will be H5N1 bird flu. I have SLL/CLL and must keep getting vaccinated. I am not letting these morons kill me.
The appointment of RFK the Lesser is, to my mind, the single most dangerous cabinet appointment in this administration -- and that's saying something, considering the parade of unqualified, malevolent hacks that have been confirmed. He will take a wrecking ball to public health.
The article on testosterone is interesting for many reasons, not least of which hasn't been mentioned: the danger of prescribing it to impressionable young people who are in the grips of a delusion that they were "born in the wrong body."
This was a great article! Thanks for the heads up about immunizations before they aren't covered by insurance. I shared it with my family. Sad.
I was unvaccinated as a child, and got all my shots when I was 21. It was an interesting process, and I had a great doctor that researched proper dosages and booster frequencies for adults while working with me. Worth it! Having survived measles clusters in my religious community as a kid and watching other children die, this was important to me. The results of anti-vaccine militancy and ignorance are tragic.
Hi Dr. Jen- I just subscribed to read your prior article on testosterone. Thank you for that! It mentions a separate article on testosterone for libido. Is that available? I was also wondering about testosterone during perimenopause? Is that also a separate topic or are the considerations basically the same as during menopause? Thanks, I really appreciate the info you provide!
I’m not 100% sure which article you are referring to. The one from April 11, 2024? In general, the best way to find anything in the Vajenda is to Google “Vajenda <topic>”. So in this case “Vajenda libido”. The Google results are quite good. Also, in general, if you want to know if Jen has written about something, using that search method will work for anything in the past 4 years. If you want material before then as well as podcasts and news articles, Google “Jen Gunter <topic>” and you will get Vajenda articles and other articles from her old blog plus the NYTimes, podcast interviews etc.
Thanks for this Jen, great article. I’m 45 and the HPV vaccine wasn’t around when I was in high school. I’m about to get it! Also even though I have a strain of HPV, it will protect me from the cancer causing ones. Yay for science!
So many women benefit from estrogen and progesterone therapy. It is not implausible to think that many would also benefit from testosterone given that it’s one of the sex hormones that also starts declining, and declining first. I really hope this is being studied (not holding my breath with the current administration).
I am 66 years old and have been using vaginal testosterone cream for about 10 years for libido. It works great for me! When I hit my mid-fifties, my formerly high sex drive, flatlined. I could not figure out a way to revive it. It wasn't a "I'm bored with my partner of 25 years," type of libido change. I stopped having sexual thoughts, altogether, and that was not me!! I had an extensive blood test done for other reasons and one of the things it showed was that my testosterone levels were low. I searched high and low for information on testosterone for women but there was practically zilch. The patriarchal bias against prescribing what men consider to be their hormone and their hormone alone, is so sickening. But in all my research, it seemed the worst that could happen to me was getting chin hairs and an enlarged clitoris. Unlike estrogen, no major side-effects have been reported from taking testosterone. So I met a wonderful compound pharmacist who had not treated many women with testosterone but was willing to treat me. One of the first things I noticed on the medication is that my confidence soared. I seemed to suddenly have just a bit of the confidence that men walk around with all the time. I was able to put more efforts into my workouts, especially weight training. I did not develop the menopausal belly so many women talk about. My libido came to life again, not as strong as before menopause, but strong enough to enjoy (and want) sexual activity with my wife again. The only negative side effect I have experienced on this hormone, is a tendency to be quicker to anger when I take it everyday. It's not a thing that I even noticed, until I forgot to bring it with me on a vacation years ago, and realized I felt less edgy. I now take it for a few days before I am planning to have sex (yes, we plan our sexual encounters and it works for us!) and it gets me into the right mood and allows for great orgasms. I know it does not work for everyone, because when my wife's libido flatlined a few years after mine did, she tried it but it didn't work at all. She got a different topical compound to help with clitoral and vaginal stimulation. But, for all the lack of research, I think it falls into a category of, "It doesn't hurt to try it." I would never take the pellets because I wanted to be able to control how much goes into my body. So that is my two cents for others like me who are still looking for a solution to a drastically diminished sex drive.
Forgive me if I'm wrong but I was under the assumption after listening to Dr. Susan Davis on Hit Play Not Pause that she is a proponent of testosterone, that she's been prescribing it since the 1980s, and that she's currently studying it for primarily bone but also muscle benefits. Not that she's saying all women should take testosterone but that she is interested in the possible benefits through midlife and beyond. She also speaks about the approved testosterone formulation in Australia and seems to argue that the US should also approve it. Was I just completely misunderstanding what she was saying?? Also, if you could address GLP-1s, it feels to me like Novo Nordisk is following the Purdue playbook here using doctors to sell their drugs without evidence of their long term safety and efficacy. It's my understanding that the longest RCT for weight loss was 2 years yet these drugs require a lifelong commitment to keep the weight off and even then some people are beginning the process of regain. Evidence shows an increase in risk factors with weight cycling, an outcome that doesn't seem to be taken into account when prescribing and using weight-loss drugs. I know it's not necessarily specific to midlife women's health, but we are being heavily (no pun intended) targeted with these drugs that are being promoted as the solution for addressing my least favourite made up meno-term, the "meno-belly." Looking at the evidence, I'm not at all convinced that average weight gain over the transition isn't beneficial or protective. Patriarchy certainly tells us to fear it from a vanity standpoint and the medical profession has an anti-fat bias that confuses higher body weight with poor health. I would love to know your thoughts on this!
Hi Nancy, Sue Davis is very clear the only evidence based indication for testosterone is for libido and that it is moderately effective at best. She supports the international guidelines which also reach that conclusion. She has some nice videos up on Instagram explaining that. An approved formulation would make it easier to prescribe for low libido and easier to study. I am not an expert in GLP-1s but the published evidence is remarkable so far, and not just for weight loss, for diabetes and kidney disease as well.
Given that women's testosterone rises again around age 70, would this be a good reason to preserve the ovaries during a hysterectomy? I'm 56 and totally game for having it all out, but from the NYT article, reading that testosterone rises again, later, makes me think that having them removed (barring any real necessity) may not be wise. Any feedback on this would be welcome.
There have been some studies that suggest women who have their ovaries out after menopause but before 65 may have a higher risk of heart disease, but I believe there is some newer data that questions that. However, we don't know the source of testosterone for women in their 70s; it could well be adrenal. We do know ovaries still produce low levels of hormones after menopause, and so that is one consideration with balancing the benefits of surgery against risks.
I love these little Gunter "snacks" of knowledge and information!!
:)
You are committed to good science and accurate information. It’s a pity we can’t say the same about this maladministration.
The white count and long COVID snippet was particularly interesting to me as I have been dealing with long COVID for over a year. I went back into my chart and looked at all of my WBC counts and the lowest it’s ever been was 5.4…highest in the 10s. Note I also have endometriosis which puts me on the high inflammation/autoimmune list. Interesting! 🤔
Ugh! RFK! WTF!
RFK Jr. made big bucks by telling other people not to vaccinate their children, helped to worsen a measles pandemic in Samoa in which 83 children died, and vaccinated his own kids while giving the opposite advice to the public. Apparently it is now an article of wingnut faith to shun vaccination, trust in their “Immune systems” and ignore medical science. Over a million people have died in this country following this rotten advice. Trump and RFK Jr. are also ignoring the next pandemic coming, this time it will be H5N1 bird flu. I have SLL/CLL and must keep getting vaccinated. I am not letting these morons kill me.
Exactly! I cannot believe the absolute venality and idiocy that prevails in Congress and the Senate currently.
The appointment of RFK the Lesser is, to my mind, the single most dangerous cabinet appointment in this administration -- and that's saying something, considering the parade of unqualified, malevolent hacks that have been confirmed. He will take a wrecking ball to public health.
The article on testosterone is interesting for many reasons, not least of which hasn't been mentioned: the danger of prescribing it to impressionable young people who are in the grips of a delusion that they were "born in the wrong body."
Another well written post & great info worth sharing...thank you Dr. Jen
[deleted by me ]
I read on Consumer Labs that Nutrafol doesn't play well with anti-seizure meds. That's kind of a BFD.
Did you see Attia's post on migraine meds helping with endometriosis? Thoughts?
It's a mouse study, so it's a little premature!
I would love to know your opinion on Attia. Apologies if you've covered that before.
This was a great article! Thanks for the heads up about immunizations before they aren't covered by insurance. I shared it with my family. Sad.
I was unvaccinated as a child, and got all my shots when I was 21. It was an interesting process, and I had a great doctor that researched proper dosages and booster frequencies for adults while working with me. Worth it! Having survived measles clusters in my religious community as a kid and watching other children die, this was important to me. The results of anti-vaccine militancy and ignorance are tragic.
Thank you!
Hi Dr. Jen- I just subscribed to read your prior article on testosterone. Thank you for that! It mentions a separate article on testosterone for libido. Is that available? I was also wondering about testosterone during perimenopause? Is that also a separate topic or are the considerations basically the same as during menopause? Thanks, I really appreciate the info you provide!
I’m not 100% sure which article you are referring to. The one from April 11, 2024? In general, the best way to find anything in the Vajenda is to Google “Vajenda <topic>”. So in this case “Vajenda libido”. The Google results are quite good. Also, in general, if you want to know if Jen has written about something, using that search method will work for anything in the past 4 years. If you want material before then as well as podcasts and news articles, Google “Jen Gunter <topic>” and you will get Vajenda articles and other articles from her old blog plus the NYTimes, podcast interviews etc.
Thanks for this Jen, great article. I’m 45 and the HPV vaccine wasn’t around when I was in high school. I’m about to get it! Also even though I have a strain of HPV, it will protect me from the cancer causing ones. Yay for science!
So many women benefit from estrogen and progesterone therapy. It is not implausible to think that many would also benefit from testosterone given that it’s one of the sex hormones that also starts declining, and declining first. I really hope this is being studied (not holding my breath with the current administration).
I am 66 years old and have been using vaginal testosterone cream for about 10 years for libido. It works great for me! When I hit my mid-fifties, my formerly high sex drive, flatlined. I could not figure out a way to revive it. It wasn't a "I'm bored with my partner of 25 years," type of libido change. I stopped having sexual thoughts, altogether, and that was not me!! I had an extensive blood test done for other reasons and one of the things it showed was that my testosterone levels were low. I searched high and low for information on testosterone for women but there was practically zilch. The patriarchal bias against prescribing what men consider to be their hormone and their hormone alone, is so sickening. But in all my research, it seemed the worst that could happen to me was getting chin hairs and an enlarged clitoris. Unlike estrogen, no major side-effects have been reported from taking testosterone. So I met a wonderful compound pharmacist who had not treated many women with testosterone but was willing to treat me. One of the first things I noticed on the medication is that my confidence soared. I seemed to suddenly have just a bit of the confidence that men walk around with all the time. I was able to put more efforts into my workouts, especially weight training. I did not develop the menopausal belly so many women talk about. My libido came to life again, not as strong as before menopause, but strong enough to enjoy (and want) sexual activity with my wife again. The only negative side effect I have experienced on this hormone, is a tendency to be quicker to anger when I take it everyday. It's not a thing that I even noticed, until I forgot to bring it with me on a vacation years ago, and realized I felt less edgy. I now take it for a few days before I am planning to have sex (yes, we plan our sexual encounters and it works for us!) and it gets me into the right mood and allows for great orgasms. I know it does not work for everyone, because when my wife's libido flatlined a few years after mine did, she tried it but it didn't work at all. She got a different topical compound to help with clitoral and vaginal stimulation. But, for all the lack of research, I think it falls into a category of, "It doesn't hurt to try it." I would never take the pellets because I wanted to be able to control how much goes into my body. So that is my two cents for others like me who are still looking for a solution to a drastically diminished sex drive.
Thank you, Dr. Jen!!!
Thank you so much for this article!!
Forgive me if I'm wrong but I was under the assumption after listening to Dr. Susan Davis on Hit Play Not Pause that she is a proponent of testosterone, that she's been prescribing it since the 1980s, and that she's currently studying it for primarily bone but also muscle benefits. Not that she's saying all women should take testosterone but that she is interested in the possible benefits through midlife and beyond. She also speaks about the approved testosterone formulation in Australia and seems to argue that the US should also approve it. Was I just completely misunderstanding what she was saying?? Also, if you could address GLP-1s, it feels to me like Novo Nordisk is following the Purdue playbook here using doctors to sell their drugs without evidence of their long term safety and efficacy. It's my understanding that the longest RCT for weight loss was 2 years yet these drugs require a lifelong commitment to keep the weight off and even then some people are beginning the process of regain. Evidence shows an increase in risk factors with weight cycling, an outcome that doesn't seem to be taken into account when prescribing and using weight-loss drugs. I know it's not necessarily specific to midlife women's health, but we are being heavily (no pun intended) targeted with these drugs that are being promoted as the solution for addressing my least favourite made up meno-term, the "meno-belly." Looking at the evidence, I'm not at all convinced that average weight gain over the transition isn't beneficial or protective. Patriarchy certainly tells us to fear it from a vanity standpoint and the medical profession has an anti-fat bias that confuses higher body weight with poor health. I would love to know your thoughts on this!
Hi Nancy, Sue Davis is very clear the only evidence based indication for testosterone is for libido and that it is moderately effective at best. She supports the international guidelines which also reach that conclusion. She has some nice videos up on Instagram explaining that. An approved formulation would make it easier to prescribe for low libido and easier to study. I am not an expert in GLP-1s but the published evidence is remarkable so far, and not just for weight loss, for diabetes and kidney disease as well.
Given that women's testosterone rises again around age 70, would this be a good reason to preserve the ovaries during a hysterectomy? I'm 56 and totally game for having it all out, but from the NYT article, reading that testosterone rises again, later, makes me think that having them removed (barring any real necessity) may not be wise. Any feedback on this would be welcome.
There have been some studies that suggest women who have their ovaries out after menopause but before 65 may have a higher risk of heart disease, but I believe there is some newer data that questions that. However, we don't know the source of testosterone for women in their 70s; it could well be adrenal. We do know ovaries still produce low levels of hormones after menopause, and so that is one consideration with balancing the benefits of surgery against risks.
Thank you for your response--much appreciated!
Thanks as always!