Women’s Testosterone Health and Functional Wellness Benefits

Women’s Testosterone Health and Functional Wellness

Abstract

Testosterone is often called a “male hormone,” but it is also a natural and important part of women’s health. Women have much lower testosterone levels than men, yet androgens still take part in sexual function, muscle and bone physiology, metabolism, reproductive health, and tissue function. This article explains how testosterone and other androgens work in women, why hormone levels change with age, how laboratory testing should be interpreted, and where subcutaneous testosterone injections may fit into medical care. It also explores the whole-person approach used at Health Coach Clinic, where functional medicine, nutrition, health coaching, chiropractic care, rehabilitation, and medical oversight can work together. The goal is not simply to focus on a hormone number, but to help patients improve movement, reduce pain, sleep better, support metabolic health, and make informed healthcare decisions.

Testosterone Is Also a Female Hormone

Testosterone is often associated with men, but women also produce it naturally throughout their lives. It belongs to a group of hormones called androgens.

Important androgens include:

• Testosterone
• Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT
• Androstenedione
• Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA
• DHEA sulfate, or DHEAS

Women usually have testosterone concentrations about 10 to 20 times lower than men, depending on age, laboratory methods, and the population studied. However, lower levels do not mean testosterone is unimportant.

The supplied clinical whitepaper makes an important point: testosterone is a normal, physiologically active hormone in women and may circulate at higher concentrations than estradiol during much of adult life.

Androgens participate in several areas of female physiology, including sexual function and reproductive health. Androgen receptors are also found in bone, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, the brain, and other organs, although the presence of a receptor does not automatically prove that testosterone treatment will improve every function of that tissue (Davis & Wahlin-Jacobsen, 2015).

Where Does Testosterone Come From in Women?

Female androgen production does not come from just one organ.

The ovaries and adrenal glands both contribute testosterone and androgen precursors. Peripheral tissues can also convert precursor hormones such as DHEA and androstenedione into active hormones.

This matters because female hormone physiology is more complicated than a single testosterone number on a lab report.

Inside tissues, enzymes can convert androgen precursors into:

• Testosterone
• DHT
• Estradiol

This local hormone production is sometimes described as intracrine. A hormone precursor may enter a tissue, be converted into an active hormone, perform its function locally, and then be metabolized without large amounts ever appearing in the bloodstream.

The diagram in the supplied whitepaper explains how adrenal- and ovarian-derived precursors can be converted within peripheral tissues into testosterone, DHT, and estradiol.

That helps explain why a blood test provides useful information but cannot describe every part of androgen activity inside the body.

How Androgens Change With Age

Female androgen production tends to follow a gradual curve.

DHEA and DHEAS generally reach higher levels during younger adulthood and then progressively decline with age. Testosterone also tends to decrease over time.

Importantly, this pattern is different from estrogen.

Estrogen can fall substantially during the menopausal transition. Female androgen activity tends to decline more gradually and often begins changing years before menopause.

For this reason, menopause by itself should not automatically be considered proof of “testosterone deficiency.”

A different pattern can occur after bilateral oophorectomy, when both ovaries are surgically removed. Because part of ovarian androgen production is suddenly lost, circulating testosterone and androstenedione can decline more sharply than they do during normal aging.

Every patient’s situation is different. Age, ovarian status, medications, thyroid function, metabolic health, body composition, and other medical conditions can all affect the hormone picture.

Why Testosterone Blood Tests Need Careful Interpretation

Testing testosterone in women can be challenging because female concentrations are much lower than male concentrations.

Some common laboratory immunoassays were originally designed to measure the much higher testosterone levels found in men. At the lower female range, accuracy may decrease.

The supplied whitepaper identifies liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, or LC-MS/MS, as the more dependable method for measuring low testosterone concentrations when it is available.

Another important laboratory marker is sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG.

SHBG attaches to testosterone in the bloodstream. Therefore, two women with the same total testosterone may have different amounts of biologically available testosterone.

Factors that can affect SHBG include:

• Oral estrogen
• Thyroid hormone status
• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Insulin resistance
• Androgen excess

This is why testosterone testing should be viewed within the larger clinical picture, rather than using one laboratory result as a diagnosis.

Current expert guidance does not support diagnosing a broad female androgen-deficiency syndrome based on one testosterone value alone. Laboratory testing can help establish a baseline and monitor patients during therapy.

What Does Testosterone Do in Women?

One of the best-supported roles of testosterone in women’s health involves sexual function.

Research has found associations between endogenous testosterone and measures of sexual desire and function. Randomized clinical trials have also found that appropriately selected postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD, may experience improvements in sexual desire and related outcomes with carefully monitored testosterone treatment (Davis et al., 2019).

However, it is important to separate what is biologically possible from what clinical trials have actually proven.

Androgen receptors are present in:

• Skeletal muscle
• Bone
• Brain tissue
• Adipose tissue
• Cardiovascular tissue
• Reproductive tissues

This has created interest in testosterone’s possible relationships with body composition, cognition, mood, bone health, and physical performance.

But current evidence does not establish testosterone as a general treatment for fatigue, weight gain, memory problems, muscle loss, osteoporosis, depression, or normal aging in women. The whitepaper specifically cautions that receptor activity supports continued research, not automatic proof of treatment benefit.

What Are Subcutaneous Testosterone Injections?

A subcutaneous testosterone injection, sometimes called a SubQ injection, places testosterone into the fatty tissue beneath the skin instead of deep into a muscle.

This route can be attractive because subcutaneous injections may be easier for some patients to tolerate than deeper intramuscular injections.

However, the evidence is important to distinguish.

Most randomized clinical evidence supporting testosterone treatment in women has involved transdermal testosterone, meaning testosterone delivered through the skin. Female-specific evidence establishing subcutaneous testosterone injections as the preferred route remains limited.

The supplied whitepaper specifically explains that evidence for SubQ testosterone administration is largely extrapolated from male testosterone research and that current women’s guidelines do not establish subcutaneous injections as a preferred female route.

There is also no FDA-approved testosterone product specifically indicated for women in the United States. When testosterone is prescribed for women, treatment is therefore generally considered off-label.

That does not automatically mean treatment is inappropriate. Off-label medications are commonly used in medicine. It does mean that the prescribing clinician should carefully review the evidence, alternatives, expected benefits, uncertainties, and potential risks with the patient.

Keeping Testosterone Within a Female Physiologic Range

With testosterone, more is not necessarily better.

Excessive androgen exposure can produce unwanted effects similar to those seen in naturally occurring hyperandrogenism.

Potential signs of excessive testosterone exposure can include:

• Acne
• Increased facial or body hair
• Scalp-hair changes
• Oily skin
• Other signs of androgen excess

Guidelines emphasize keeping testosterone exposure within an appropriate physiologic female range when treatment is used.

The treatment process may include reviewing symptoms, medications, menstrual or menopausal status, cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic health, appropriate hormone testing, and follow-up laboratory results.

Long-term breast and cardiovascular safety data in women remain more limited than clinicians would ideally like, making ongoing monitoring and shared decision-making especially important.

Functional Medicine Looks Beyond a Testosterone Number

This whole-person perspective fits naturally with the approach of Health Coach Clinic in El Paso, Texas, which describes its model as centered on functional medicine, laboratory assessment, nutrition, health coaching, wellness, and integrative care.

A woman experiencing low energy, decreased sexual interest, sleep difficulties, weight changes, or reduced physical performance may have more than one contributing issue.

An integrative evaluation may therefore consider:

• Thyroid function
• Glucose and insulin regulation
• Nutritional status
• Sleep quality
• Stress
• Physical activity
• Menopausal status
• Medication effects
• Body composition
• Chronic pain
• Musculoskeletal limitations
• Cardiometabolic risk

This approach can help prevent people from automatically blaming every symptom on testosterone.

Health Coaching, Nutrition, and Lifestyle Support

Hormones operate inside a much larger biological system.

Health coaching can help turn a medical treatment plan into realistic daily habits. Nutrition, resistance exercise, sleep, stress management, hydration, and metabolic health may all affect how a patient feels and functions.

At Health Coach Clinic, the published care model includes functional medicine, nutritional strategies, laboratory evaluation, wellness care, and health coaching, along with related clinical services.

For a patient receiving hormone-related care, health coaching may support goals such as:

• Eating enough high-quality protein
• Maintaining a balanced dietary pattern
• Performing appropriate resistance exercise
• Improving sleep consistency
• Managing body weight
• Supporting healthy glucose regulation
• Building sustainable exercise habits
• Following laboratory and follow-up recommendations

Hormone therapy should not replace these foundations.

Where Integrative Chiropractic Care Fits In

Chiropractic care has a different role from testosterone treatment.

A chiropractic adjustment should not be presented as a treatment for low testosterone, nor should chiropractic care replace appropriate endocrine or medical evaluation.

Instead, integrative chiropractic care can address the mechanical and musculoskeletal barriers that may keep a patient from becoming more active and feeling better.

For example, a patient with chronic back pain, restricted joint movement, previous injuries, or muscle imbalance may struggle to exercise consistently. Improving those problems may allow the patient to move more comfortably and participate in strength training, rehabilitation, and everyday activity.

From the patient’s perspective, the potential goals are practical:

• Less musculoskeletal pain
• Better mobility
• Easier exercise
• Improved strength and physical function
• Greater confidence with movement
• Better sleep when pain has been disrupting rest
• Reduced reliance on unnecessary pain medication when appropriate

Health Coach Clinic describes chiropractic, functional medicine, nutrition, wellness, and rehabilitation as components of its broader multidisciplinary approach.

This follows an important safety principle: when a non-invasive and drug-free option is appropriate for a mechanical problem, using conservative care first may help limit unnecessary medication exposure or invasive treatment. At the same time, responsible integrative care recognizes when medication, specialist evaluation, injections, or surgery are medically necessary.

Medical Oversight and Integrative Care in El Paso

At Injury Medical Clinic PA and its associated Health Coach Clinic model in El Paso, Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CCST, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, combines chiropractic care with family nurse practitioner training, functional medicine, rehabilitation, personal injury care, and wellness-focused clinical education.

His clinical approach emphasizes connecting physical function with nutrition, metabolic health, recovery, and lifestyle rather than viewing each problem in isolation. Health Coach Clinic similarly describes its services as combining functional medicine, nutrition, health coaching, wellness, laboratory evaluation, and chiropractic-related care.

Dr. Jimenez works with Dr. Maria Guadalupe Cardenas, MD, an internal medicine physician with more than four decades of clinical experience who serves as Medical Director and Collaborative Physician within the multidisciplinary practice. Clinic materials describe this relationship as combining internal medicine oversight with chiropractic, functional medicine, rehabilitation, and related services.

This coordinated structure allows different professionals to work within their training and scope while communicating about the same patient’s goals.

For someone considering hormone therapy, that can mean medical oversight for hormone-related decisions while the wider team addresses nutrition, movement, metabolic health, injuries, rehabilitation, pain, and lifestyle.

Publication accuracy note: Health Coach Clinic pages contain inconsistent versions of Dr. Cardenas’s NPI. NPPES-derived provider data identify her NPI as 1164426748 and Texas medical license as J2933.

The Bigger Picture of Women’s Testosterone Health

Testosterone deserves to be understood as a normal female hormone.

But understanding its importance does not mean assuming that every woman with fatigue, low libido, weight changes, reduced strength, or menopausal symptoms needs testosterone.

The current evidence supports a more careful approach:

Understand the patient’s symptoms. Review medical and lifestyle factors. Use laboratory testing appropriately. Identify other possible causes. Discuss what testosterone has and has not been proven to do. If treatment is appropriate, aim for physiologic female exposure and monitor it carefully.

The Health Coach Clinic approach adds another important layer: a hormone prescription should not become the entire wellness plan.

Consider nutrition, exercise, metabolic health, sleep, stress management, musculoskeletal function, health coaching, and medical follow-up together. For the patient, the goal is broader than changing a laboratory result. It is helping her move better, hurt less, sleep better, remain physically active, improve daily function, and make informed decisions about her long-term health.

“True hormonal harmony is never achieved through a one-size-fits-all quick fix; it requires looking at your lifestyle, nutrition, and unique cellular physiology. You do not have to guess your way to feeling better—reach out to our wellness team today to discuss how we can safely support your journey toward lasting balance.”

---

References

Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Androgens: Function, levels & related disorders.

Davis, S. R., Baber, R., Panay, N., et al. (2019). Global consensus position statement on the use of testosterone therapy for women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(10), 4660-4666.

Davis, S. R., & Wahlin-Jacobsen, S. (2015). Testosterone in women—The clinical significance. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 3(12), 980-992.

Faucett, K., Giles, L. A., & Sing, E. (2026). Testosterone: Vital to female physiology. Women’s Health.

Hatzilabrou, T. A. (n.d.). Testosterone and androgen physiology in women. Worldborne Medical/Medivant Healthcare.

Horstman, A. M., Dillon, E. L., & Urban, R. J. (2012). The role of androgens and estrogens on healthy aging and longevity. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 67(11), 1140-1152.

Hunter, S. K. (2025). Testosterone and androgen receptors in females: What is possible with resistance training?. The Journal of Physiology.

Parish, S. J., Simon, J. A., Davis, S. R., et al. (2021). International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health clinical practice guideline for the use of systemic testosterone for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 18(5), 849-867.

Thomas, L. (2022). The role of testosterone in women’s health. News-Medical.