Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below I have just started taking 1 pump (4 pumps is equal to 5 mg) of androgel. I am a 45yr old mother of 5. I mention the 5 kids because it's hard keeping up with kids ages 5-16 with the extra weight. Does anyone have any experience either theirs or a friend's you could share with me? I am a newbie here. I had 4 facet injections in my back joints and 2 depo-medrol(cortisone) last summer and they put 40lbs on. I was a size 4 and have slowly crawled up to a size 12. My eating habits have always been high protein, low carbs...but the weight came on still. I mentioned this fact to my ob/gyn who is a bodybuilder and pretty liberal. She told me I might benefit from androgel daily to strengthen my back. She said she has prescribed it to women for low-libido, but I would be her first to prescribe it based on it's bone-density benefits. She wants me to try it for 12 weeks and see if it helps both with back strength and weight loss. I also started a walking, cardio and some weights using my Nautilus gym at home(so no free weights) that she has recommended. I don't want to put weight on, but I can't find anything on the internet except "females shouldn't take androgel". I'm going to try her advice, so that doesn't help. I was surprised I couldn't find anyone's experience just internet searching. I want someone's honest opinion, experience or advice and hope to find it here.
Androgel questions for women. Anyone?
- Thread starter kbarr
- Start date
I was hoping for something???? Anyone? This is my second day on it and I amazed at the difference in my sweat. I walked 8 miles this morning and my daughter wouldn't even go near me. Is this common? I know walking 8 miles is nothing compared to some of you other ladies pics here...hope to be where you are someday if you are one of them.
R
RachelEFC
Guest
Possibly try and move the post to the steriod discussion forum or another one where men are more apt to read. Some of the guys in this forum give great advice.
Bikini Mod
New member
I am sorry but I have no experience with the product you mentioned. Be patient someone will chime in if they can help you.
Oh yes.... AND WELCOME!!!
Oh yes.... AND WELCOME!!!
Are you pre or post menopausal?
Anyway, cudos to your OB/GYN for having a pair. Okay, here's the thing ... increasing your androgens WILL almost definitely help with aches and pains, bone density and general sense of emotional wellbeing (eventually) and increased muscle mass but you are probably going to have at least SOME side effects and it probably will NOT help you lose weight while you're on the gel (however, if you lift heavy you have a much, much better -- and easier -- chance of changing your body composition). The increased muscle mass can help you burn OFF the fat (eventually) but losing weight while you're actually using the gel might be tough. To start with, you're probably going to find you're unusually hungry, particularly if you step up your resitance training. If your goal is to feel better, be stronger, have strength to hold your spine sturdy, then don't focus on the short term, think big picture.
Also, be aware there's a break in when you start taking the androgen supplement regularly, just an FYI, your mood can flash over instantly and you can become very short tempered. It's nothing you can't live with ... same goes for sex drive.
Your voice may get lower. That's permanent. Is that a side effect that's going to bother you? (you're not going to become a basso profundo, just maybe a shade deeper).
You might have some hair thinning (look at your older female relatives, if thin hair/wearing a wig is sort of common for the post menopausal women of your family then you can expect to lose some hair). I'd say use Nizoral, that seems to be the best help, if you think hair loss may be a problem, you should be able to get your doc to write you a script for the prescription strength Nizoral (blanking on the name currently).
IMO, if you have a screwed up back/bad joints, particularly if it's impacting your quality of life, I say go for it. Quality of life is what matters most and I have NO regrets about cycling test periodically. I can function whereas I think conventional medicine would have had me in a wheelchair on pain killers by now. No, I don't have the body I'd like but it's a body that works, and a body that is strong. I can lift, I can bend, sometimes just being able to tie your own shoes is worth something, you know?
BTW, I think one pump a day may be a pinch high if you haven't gone through menopause, I'd say one pump M/W/F.
That should cover the basics, and welcome to the board!!!
Anyway, cudos to your OB/GYN for having a pair. Okay, here's the thing ... increasing your androgens WILL almost definitely help with aches and pains, bone density and general sense of emotional wellbeing (eventually) and increased muscle mass but you are probably going to have at least SOME side effects and it probably will NOT help you lose weight while you're on the gel (however, if you lift heavy you have a much, much better -- and easier -- chance of changing your body composition). The increased muscle mass can help you burn OFF the fat (eventually) but losing weight while you're actually using the gel might be tough. To start with, you're probably going to find you're unusually hungry, particularly if you step up your resitance training. If your goal is to feel better, be stronger, have strength to hold your spine sturdy, then don't focus on the short term, think big picture.
Also, be aware there's a break in when you start taking the androgen supplement regularly, just an FYI, your mood can flash over instantly and you can become very short tempered. It's nothing you can't live with ... same goes for sex drive.
Your voice may get lower. That's permanent. Is that a side effect that's going to bother you? (you're not going to become a basso profundo, just maybe a shade deeper).
You might have some hair thinning (look at your older female relatives, if thin hair/wearing a wig is sort of common for the post menopausal women of your family then you can expect to lose some hair). I'd say use Nizoral, that seems to be the best help, if you think hair loss may be a problem, you should be able to get your doc to write you a script for the prescription strength Nizoral (blanking on the name currently).
IMO, if you have a screwed up back/bad joints, particularly if it's impacting your quality of life, I say go for it. Quality of life is what matters most and I have NO regrets about cycling test periodically. I can function whereas I think conventional medicine would have had me in a wheelchair on pain killers by now. No, I don't have the body I'd like but it's a body that works, and a body that is strong. I can lift, I can bend, sometimes just being able to tie your own shoes is worth something, you know?
BTW, I think one pump a day may be a pinch high if you haven't gone through menopause, I'd say one pump M/W/F.
That should cover the basics, and welcome to the board!!!
Bikini Mod
New member
MM is THE BEST!
Tatyana
Elite Mentor
kbarr said:
Hi and welcome,
I wanted to address this point.
This is what naturally happens to everyone, not just women at this age if they don't work to keep muscle.
From the age of 30, we start to lose muscle mass. Muscle, besides the brain, is the most metabolically demanding tissue in the body, it uses a lot of calories, so when we lose muscle, the amount of calories that would have maintained our weight before, now becomes too much.
Excess calories are stored as fat.
What most people do is some silly diet that wastes most muscle.
Metabolic rate decreases even more, more fat gain, vicious cycle. Repeat.
The weight training is going to play a big part in getting the body you want.
I will dig out a few threads that have some info related to this.
Tatyana
Elite Mentor
kbarr said:
Found a bit of reading for you, especially check out page two on this thread about how weight training can help women avoid the 'middle-aged spread'.
I also want to address your point about walking. In all honesty, except for the fact that I am getting ready for a comp, I would do minimal to no cardio, except for the walking I have to do to get around.
I haven't been doing all that much cardio either for the last 6 months either.
You don't really HAVE to when you get this nice ratio of fat to muscle, SO easy to maintain just with weight training.
Cardio is great for cardio vascular health and for burning fat, but it is not going to give women the shape they want in their legs, butts, arms.
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...tone-but-i-don-t-want-get-too-big-583600.html
Bikini Mod
New member
We 
Tatyana...
Ladies, want knowledge on fitness and how to look and feel your best regardless of age/life circumstances/goals? Elitefitness women's forums are the place to come!
Tatyana...Ladies, want knowledge on fitness and how to look and feel your best regardless of age/life circumstances/goals? Elitefitness women's forums are the place to come!
Bikini Mod
New member
Tatyana said:
I wish more people *got* this.
So I thought your post was worthy of repeating!
MoonShadow
New member
Thirteen years ago, around the time Judith Reichman, M.D. wrote her book "I'm Not In The Mood," I went to my GYN, book in hand, and asked if I could get a prescription for the compounded testosterone Judith wrote about. My GYN knew nothing about it, but she had faith in Judith and gave me the script. It's 1.5% Testosterone Propionate in PLO gel. I've been using it ever since, a little dab, on inside of labia, at bedtime.
Okay, here are the positive results I've found:
No mood swings
No periods of depression
Steady and good libido (means I never say "I have a headache, Dear" to my man)
Clitoris enlarged, but being postmenopausal and things shrinking, that's a good thing
Don't have vaginal atrophy or dryness
Have a lot of energy and strength (at my age, that's saying an awful lot)
No joint pains
Bone Density Tests always good
Negative results:
None that I can find
My GYN is happy with my health, how I feel and what I can do. Some other doctors freak and tell me testo has bad side effects. Only side effect they can come up with is I have the same risk of heart attack as men do. Big deal -- most women have the same risk factor because they are working outside the home, competing and just as stressed as men.
One thing that really gets me angry in forums is men saying they wouldn't have sex with a woman who has a clit that looks like a penis. Well, there's no reason for a woman to have one that big. If she does, she's definitely overdosing on her testo. I have always been very careful about the amount used and mine is a normal good size. I don't have acne. I don't have male pattern baldness -- in fact my hair is quite thick. I don't have excess hair in places I don't want any.
I would like to try Androgel, but feel I don't want to mess with success. I'd have to learn all over again as to how much my body needs to remain where it's at now. Of course, it would be nice not to have to depend on compounding, but I've used the same pharmacy all these years and I get partial reimbursement from insurance company.
I am curious about where women who use Androgel apply it. I was given strict instructions not to apply testo to breasts and I understand Androgel is applied to upper body. Anyone???
To sum it up, I feel pretty good about myself...
Okay, here are the positive results I've found:
No mood swings
No periods of depression
Steady and good libido (means I never say "I have a headache, Dear" to my man)
Clitoris enlarged, but being postmenopausal and things shrinking, that's a good thing
Don't have vaginal atrophy or dryness
Have a lot of energy and strength (at my age, that's saying an awful lot)
No joint pains
Bone Density Tests always good
Negative results:
None that I can find
My GYN is happy with my health, how I feel and what I can do. Some other doctors freak and tell me testo has bad side effects. Only side effect they can come up with is I have the same risk of heart attack as men do. Big deal -- most women have the same risk factor because they are working outside the home, competing and just as stressed as men.
One thing that really gets me angry in forums is men saying they wouldn't have sex with a woman who has a clit that looks like a penis. Well, there's no reason for a woman to have one that big. If she does, she's definitely overdosing on her testo. I have always been very careful about the amount used and mine is a normal good size. I don't have acne. I don't have male pattern baldness -- in fact my hair is quite thick. I don't have excess hair in places I don't want any.
I would like to try Androgel, but feel I don't want to mess with success. I'd have to learn all over again as to how much my body needs to remain where it's at now. Of course, it would be nice not to have to depend on compounding, but I've used the same pharmacy all these years and I get partial reimbursement from insurance company.
I am curious about where women who use Androgel apply it. I was given strict instructions not to apply testo to breasts and I understand Androgel is applied to upper body. Anyone???
To sum it up, I feel pretty good about myself...
MikeHasmat
New member
My wife just started using a cream from Andromeds... I think it's the only testosterone cream specifically for women (don't quote me on that though)
it's only been a few days so nothing to report now, but i'll update with anything interesting
it's only been a few days so nothing to report now, but i'll update with anything interesting
HI - I am post-menopausal and I have been taking 5mg testerone using Androgel 1% 2.5mg gel packets for a year now. It is very helpful and I have had no adverse side effects. I think 5mg is a good dose if you are post-menopausal (I also use a .05 (.625 mg) Vivelle dot estrogen patch, and NO progesterone).
To get 5mg testerone gel from the 2.5 mg packet of 1% AndroGel, I place a small pinhole in the packet and squeeze out a small ball, of about a fifth of the packet. The package size is changing (Dec 2013) to a 1.62% strength of AndroGel, so I will use 1/8th of a packet instead of 1/5th. But the dosage of 5mg per day is the same.
Good luck!
To get 5mg testerone gel from the 2.5 mg packet of 1% AndroGel, I place a small pinhole in the packet and squeeze out a small ball, of about a fifth of the packet. The package size is changing (Dec 2013) to a 1.62% strength of AndroGel, so I will use 1/8th of a packet instead of 1/5th. But the dosage of 5mg per day is the same.
Good luck!
Why are you taking estrogen and not progesterone? Unopposed estrogen is where the cancer concerns really crop up and I'm surprised a doctor who would prescribe estrogen wouldn't be concerned about this. Natural bioidentical progesterone cream is easily available online or in most health food stores.
You might want to research the term "unopposed estrogen" or "estrogen without progesterone" or perhaps consider reading some of the books by Dr. John Lee. Test + estrogen (even the mildest version of estrogen, estradiol, that Vivelle contains), without progesterone is not a good idea.
Lilly Lovell
New member
So happy you are using T-Gel with good results! I've been using AndroGel and love it. I can't find a doc who has a clue, so thanks for sharing your conservative dosage. I'm post menapause, too. I have been taking one pump the day before sex and one pump 5 hours prior to sex. I only have sex about twice a month, so that's 4 pumps per month. I want to dose myself the same as you.
One 1.25 g. pump of 1.62% AndroGel produces 20.25 mg. of Testosterone.
20.25 mg. of Testosterone in one pump..... divided by four equals 5mg. Testosterone.
I need to find a way to measure 5 mg, and I wonder if I can keep the leftover gel in an airtight container.
I initially took T-gel to improve sex, and I'm having the best sex of my life. I'm devoted to the gym and lifting weights 2 hours every day. I think my body had been craving T. My energy and feeling of well being is fantastic after taking T, and then falls off after a day, so it will be nice being on a steady low dose. I still may apply before sex, since it's only twice a month. May I ask where you apply the gel? I put on my shoulder and upper arm.
Thanks so much for sharing ....
