What should be the testosterone level in a woman?
The realization has occurred in recent years of the importance of testosterone in women. Previously the hormone has been associated more with men, and sometimes it is associated with men in a negative way which is actually unfair because if used properly it has some very positive effects. Testosterone promotes the development of healthy skin, organs, muscles and bones. Without testosterone our sex drive and energy levels as well as our muscles would be very difficult to maintain.
Women need to have their testosterone levels monitored more frequently for the simple reason that because they have only 10% of the testosterone level that men have. This means that even small drops in testosterone levels or small rises in testosterone levels will have more effect on a woman than on a man.
Another important point to make is that the right level is different for everyone, so one woman could have the same level of testosterone as another woman. And one of them could feel energetic and in a good mood and have a high sex drive and good motivation as well as successful muscle development. The other could feel depressed, weak, moody, tired and lacking in libido. One could be OK at gaining weight or maintaining their weight levels and the other could be losing weight too quickly for their liking. This is the problem when measuring testosterone, everyone’s bodies respond differently to it and need different amounts. It is so important to manage your testosterone, particularly if you are deficient in it. This is why finding out what YOUR testosterone level should be is can be very important. In a way, you can tell without measuring, because you know how you feel.
Testosterone can be found in the blood in free form and non-free form. Most of the testosterone (about 98%) is attached to proteins when it circulates around the body. Between 1 and 2% of testosterone is free and thus circulates around the body in an active way. This means that it acts immediately on the body and is the important figure to know when measuring testosterone. Actually, what you need to know is the ratio of free testosterone and total testosterone. Total testosterone is a measure of the free and bound testosterone existing in the blood.
The general consensus from scientists and doctors is that the normal range of total testosterone should be between 15-70 ng/dl for those women aged between 20 and 39. For women aged between 40 and 59 the normal levels are between 4 and 70 ng/dl. In general though, a level of below 20 ng/dl is too low for women.
Ultimately though, listen to your body, it should tell you what your normal testosterone level is.