Put a group of menopause experts in a room, and there are certain things everyone will agree on. But there are other topics, that do not result in universal agreement. And, usually, when that happens, it’s the battle of the academic purists vs …everyone else. And in the menopause world right now, there is no more controversial topic than the use of testosterone as part of the standard hormone therapy cocktail.
So today, Dr. Kelly Casperson, the host of the You Are Not Broken podcast, and I will discuss WHY there is controversy and where that leaves us in advising women on what is in their best interest. Put two opinionated podcasters in the same room…well, all I can say is, strap in.
· Why testosterone is not FDA-approved for women
· The difference between hormone therapy and hormone replacement
· Who would most benefit from testosterone therapy
· Why “off label” does not mean “off limits”
· Proven benefits of testosterone
· Potential benefits of testosterone
· What is known about the safety of testosterone in women
· What we have learned from transgender men
· Appropriate labs to get before initiating testosterone therapy
· What to do if SHBG is elevated
· The Problem with Pellets
· Why it’s important to give women choices
· If testosterone should ever be applied to the clitoris
Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.
Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society.
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Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine.
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