In women, too much testosterone can promote insulin resistance and visceral fat.
That’s why androgen excess is the primary driver of weight gain with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), some types of birth control, and perimenopause.
perimenopause and menopause
Perimenopause is the two to ten years leading up to menopause and is the time when symptoms are most likely to occur. Symptoms of perimenopause include anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, night sweats, and a reduced ability to cope with stress. Treatment options include magnesium and body-identical micronized progesterone such as Prometrium capsules.
How Science Got It Wrong About Progesterone
Progesterone has been both ignored and wrongly blamed for side effects it does not cause. How did that happen?
For one thing, progesterone was discovered shortly after estrogen. Thus missing the opportunity to be part of the tidy hormone dichotomy of “testosterone for men and estrogen for women.” Also, progesterone could not (at first) be made into an oral medication, so was replaced by progestins.
Decoding Hypoglycemia: Is It Insulin Resistance or Dysautonomia?
Is your low blood sugar a symptom of insulin resistance or mild dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system?
In episode 16 of my podcast, I return to the topic of hypoglycemia to discuss the difference between insulin resistance and dysautonomia, why unstable blood sugar does not automatically mean insulin resistance, and my concerns about continuous glucose monitoring.
High Histamine Can Make for a Tougher Perimenopause
A tendency to allergies or high histamine can increase the risk of perimenopausal symptoms such as night sweats, anxiety, pain, sleep disturbance, migraines, and heavy periods. That’s because histamine increases with estrogen, and estrogen is higher than normal during the early years of perimenopause.