The Testosterone Myth Women Have Been Lied To About │ Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith

You have probably been told that testosterone is a male hormone. Women produce more of it than estrogen, and for many of us it is the first hormone to go, sometimes reading zero five years before menopause while periods are still regular. Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith and I get into what that costs you in muscle and bone, why there are thirty-one approved testosterone products for men and none for women, and what the number on your own lab report is measuring. Want ad-free episodes? Subscribe to Forever Strong Insider: https://bit.ly/4u5VSRe Create Her: Aging into the Healthiest Version of Yourself by Susan Hardwick-Smith MD https://www.amazon.com/Create-Her-Healthiest-Version-Yourself/dp/1637636644/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&sr=1-3 Dr. Gabrielle Lyon with Amy Pearlman Podcast https://bit.ly/3TcVgvB Connect with Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith Website: drsusan.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drsusan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsusanofficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsusanofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drsusanofficial/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsusanhardwicksmith/ Thank you to our sponsors: Timeline - up to 20% off when you subscribe and save at https://bit.ly/4x18cm5 BodyHealth - Use the code LYON20 to get 20% off your first order https://bit.ly/4wZgg6N Branch Basics - Get 15% off the Premium Starter Kit at https://bit.ly/4i6iOfK with the code DRLYON. Explore More from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Premium Podcast Subscription: Ad-free episodes, key takeaway summaries, exclusive Q&A, and behind-the-scenes content https://foreverstrong.supercast.com Weekly newsletter: Recipes, podcast updates, and practical weekly insights https://drgabriellelyon.com/sign-up/ Apply to become a patient: Personalized care with Dr. Lyon’s clinical team https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/ Connect with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drgabriellelyon X (Twitter): https://x.com/drgabriellelyon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: testosterone in women 03:00 - Eighteen years in OB-GYN and the practice she left 04:57 - Thirty years in medicine, zero training on testosterone 06:40 - 31 FDA-approved products for men, zero for women 07:35 - Why women produce more testosterone than estrogen 09:20 - What the ovaries stop making at menopause 10:18 - Testosterone reading zero five years early 11:41 - Low testosterone symptoms in women 13:22 - Intrinsa, the 2004 patch the FDA turned down 19:04 - Off-label prescribing and what FDA approval means 21:35 - Cognition, breast cancer, muscle and bone 25:33 - Osteoarthritis and the anti-inflammatory theory 26:31 - Dosing fears: hair loss, acne, voice changes 28:16 - Why gels are dosed ten times higher 32:14 - The 2019 international consensus 34:00 - Dividing a 50 mg tube by ten 38:18 - The Baylor study: pellet versus gel at six weeks 40:13 - Safety data from fifty years of transgender care 45:03 - Eight years of high dosing and what it cost 46:16 - Lab reference ranges versus optimal ranges 48:28 - ELISA versus LC-MS, and what the study found 51:07 - Why free testosterone is calculated, not measured 57:58 - Tachyphylaxis and chasing the number 1:01:39 - Pellets, BioTE and where the reputation came from 1:06:33 - Delivery methods, cypionate and enanthate 1:11:47 - Whether anything raises testosterone naturally 1:13:03 - DHEA at 100 mg and what it moved 1:17:07 - Drugs that lower testosterone in women 1:20:55 - Closing thoughts on dosing and access If you found this episode valuable, share it with someone who would benefit from it. Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships. The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.