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Understanding the hormones of desire
The subject of hormones is extremely complex. To use an analogy, they are like a jigsaw puzzle. A jigsaw puzzle is made up of many interlocking pieces that connect together to make up a single picture. Each piece of the puzzle fits into only one position in that puzzle. If you do not have all the pieces and they do not fit together correctly you do not get to see the entire picture. Consider trying to assemble a puzzle when you have only half the pieces. Then consider what it is like if you have pieces from two, three, or four puzzles that are all mixed together. Understanding our hormones is even more challenging when you take into consideration that medical researchers have not found all the pieces to our puzzle. We simply do not have all the answers.
Starting at puberty our bodies produce increased levels of the hormone testosterone and it commands us to seek out a reproductive partner. This is not something we choose or have control over, it just happens. This is true for both men and women. While women may have one-tenth to one-fifth (10-20%) the amount men have flowing through their body it still influences their actions to a significant degree. A woman's body is significantly more sensitive to testosterone so small changes in its level can have a major affect on their overall health and sexual desire. Without proper levels of testosterone you will not experience sexual desire, and may experience other health problems.
The adrenal glands and ovaries produce five different types of steroids from cholesterol; androgens and estrogens are two of them. Androgens are commonly considered the "male" hormones and estrogens the "female" hormones even though both sexes have them circulating throughout their body. Women usually have higher levels of estrogens than androgens. The ovaries and adrenal glands each produce about half the total amount of androgens in a woman's body. There are five different types of androgens, testosterone is one of them. Testosterone acts on the body and brain and causes us to desire sex and be more responsive to sexual stimulation. Testosterone also affects several bodily functions and influences our overall health.
After the ovaries and adrenal glands produce the testosterone most of it binds with a protein called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Only 1-2% of the total production of testosterone is considered "free testosterone" and affects sexual function. When evaluating a woman's testosterone levels, total testosterone, SHBG, and free androgen levels must be determined. This allows doctors to know how much testosterone is being produced and how much is available to affect sexual function. These tests should be performed before midday and after menstruation starts or soon thereafter, in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.
It should be noted that estrogen increases the production of SHBG which then results in less free testosterone in the body. Estrogen might be said to be an anti-testosterone. This is why high dose birth control pills may suppress sexual desire and why hormone replacement therapy may further suppress sexual desire. It may also explain why some women experience increased desire later in life rather than during puberty, when their estrogen levels are high. Estrogen levels drop sharply after ovulation which may account for an increase in desire mid-cycle when a woman is most fertile, and estrogen levels are at their lowest during menstruation, possibly explaining why many women experience increased desire when they are actually least fertile.
A woman may not produce sufficient testosterone or her body may not be sensitive to it so she does not experience sexual desire, or only to a limited degree. The amount of testosterone and a woman's sensitivity to it is not constant throughout her life. While there is frequently a surge of testosterone production during puberty its level decreases slowly throughout adulthood. A woman is not likely to notice a difference from one day to the next but looking back over a period of time notice her desire and pleasure are not what they once were. She will slowly come to realize something is missing. This realization may take place while a woman is in her twenties or later in life. Women whose ovaries are surgically removed, surgical menopause, will experience an immediate 50% decrease in their testosterone level meaning they may notice major changes within days of surgery.
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