What!? Ladies Have Testosterone?!

This anecdote is purely fictional, but can give you a good idea about how "boy hormones" can be a part of women's health. There is no Gladys. Anyone you know who seems like they might be Gladys or might have the name Gladys is purely coincidental. I was watching a Glade commercial. 

Why, hello, Gladys! You say that you have been having more issues with inflammation related to your arthritis lately? From your blood work, it looks like you may have decreased levels of testosterone, which may be contributing to the symptoms. 

Low testosterone tends to lead to increased inflammation; in fact, men with autoimmune diseases tend to have lower levels of testosterone in their systems.  We have seen testosterone deprivation therapy accompanies by increased inflammation.

Yes, ma’am, I know that you are a lady. Rheumatoid arthritis, the very problem you’ve brought up here, is actually more common in women than men! Both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, a type of autoimmune disease, tend to have lower testosterone than those who do not suffer from the disease. Postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis have seen significant improvement in their symptoms and inflammation with testosterone supplementation. There also tends to be flares in RA just after pregnancy, while the symptoms tend to subside during the pregnancy.

So, you see, we may be looking at more of a hormonal issue, which can be related to aging. Good news, though! As we have seen in studies with postmenopausal women with RA, testosterone therapy or other treatments may be effective in reducing symptoms.

JAMES, W. (1997). Further evidence that low androgen values are a cause of rheumatoid arthritis: the response of rheumatoid arthritis to seriously stressful life events. Annals Of The Rheumatic Diseases, 56(9), 566-567. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ard.56.9.566

Vodo, S., Bechi, N., Petroni, A., Muscoli, C., & Aloisi, A. (2013). Testosterone-Induced Effects on Lipids and Inflammation. Mediators Of Inflammation, 2013, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/183041