Testosterone supplements: what actually works?

I'm curious about how testosterone levels are actually measured in women and who I should really talk to about this. My hair is thinning out way more than it should, and honestly, I'm just stumped. My thyroid levels came back fine, so now I want to look into my testosterone. Should I be seeing a gynecologist or an endocrinologist?
Has anyone dealt with this before? Any advice would be appreciated, txn

Betty Fox37 said:I’m trying to figure out how women actually get their testosterone levels tested—like, what's the actual process, and who am I supposed to talk to about this? My hair is thinning out way too much lately and honestly, I’m at my wits' end trying to pinpoint the cause. My thyroid levels came back totally fine, so now I really want to check my testosterone. Should I be booking an appointment with a gynecologist or an endocrinologist?
Does anyone have any experience with this who can point me in the right direction? txn

You usually get that bloodwork done at a specialized diagnostic lab or a major hospital facility. Just go talk to your primary care doctor first; they'll write you a referral for it.

Go see an endocrinologist. When testosterone levels spike in women, it can cause enlargement and other issues. Honestly, though? I’d personally suggest you book an appointment with a gynecologist just to be safe and get a full checkup too.

An OB-GYN can write you a referral for sex hormone testing. Or, you could just head to a private lab and pay about $83 per test. 😁 You'll get the results right away..
Otherwise, you can sit around waiting months for an appointment

Sarah Murphy39 said:A gynecologist can write you a referral for your hormone levels, sure. But honestly, you can just head over to a private lab and get your hormone panel done yourself... it only costs about $83 per test. 😁 You'll have the results in no time too.
Usually, if you wait on the public clinics, they can make you wait months before you see anything.

Only $83? Man, we're lucky there isn't some massive global economic meltdown happening right now, otherwise that would actually be a decent chunk of change for people.

$83 based on the hormone levels? isn't that a bit much? honestly... at those prices, I could probably just go out and buy some brand new ovaries 😉
I guess the best move is just heading to an OB-GYN... anyone here actually dealt with this before?

Betty Fox37 said:$83 So, hormone therapy? Isn't that a bit much? At those prices, I could probably just go out and buy a whole new set of ovaries. 😉
So, seeing an OB-GYN is the move then... anyone actually dealt with that before?

Is it really that much?😠
Look, when you need test results immediately and you're stuck waiting months through the standard Medicare system, can you really complain about the cost?🙂
I had that done a few years ago, though I can't say for sure if it actually worked. $50 Or? $83 Regarding hormones... I needed some tests for my sex hormones and thyroid levels. If I recall correctly, the total bill came out to about... $400So there were about six or seven hormones involved... so maybe that's actually something to consider? $50..??

Your OB-GYN might send you over to an endocrinologist, too, I guess, since they usually want to dig deeper into things. You’re probably going to need some bloodwork done to check out your hormone levels, and on those lab reports, you'll see testosterone stuff marked with the abbreviation FSH. It usually takes about a day to get the results back—well, at least that was my experience, anyway.

Kimberly Gomez53 said:Your OB-GYN or an endocrinologist can send you for testing. You'll need a panel for sex hormones. On the lab report, testosterone isn't abbreviated as FSH. It takes at least a day to get results—at least that’s my experience.

FSH isn't testosterone. And since when does anyone get hormone panel results back in a single day?

Sarah Murphy39 said:Yeah, that sounds like a lot...😠
but honestly, when you realize you need results immediately and you're stuck dealing with this massive, slow-moving US healthcare system where you might end up waiting months for basic labs, then it doesn't feel like quite as much.🙂
Mind you, I had some tests done a few years back and I can't even remember if they were $50 or $83 based on hormones... I needed a few reproductive hormones checked along with my thyroid levels, and if I recall correctly, I paid about $400 total for maybe 6 or 7 different hormone tests... so maybe it actually was closer to $50..??

I waited about 10 days and didn't pay a dime. It wasn't such an emergency that I felt like dropping $500 on it. 🙏

Edit: Actually, looking back, maybe it was two weeks—20 days max—but it definitely wasn't 20.

Hey everyone,

I know there’s already a thread floating around, but it doesn't really touch on what I'm actually digging for, so I figured I’d just start my own. This might lean more toward the hard science side of things rather than pure health advice, but hey, it fits here well enough.

Here's the deal: I want to know what actually drives "testosterone depletion." How does the body actually lose it? What are all the factors that cause levels to tank? I'm also curious if basic, everyday habits end up dragging those numbers down. Basically, give me the full rundown on everything that contributes to a drop in testosterone.

And while we're at it, I'd love to hear about what actually helps boost 🙂

Jonathan Miller7 said:I waited ten days without paying a dime. It wasn't exactly an emergency requiring me to drop $500. 🙏

Edit: Actually, maybe it was two weeks, twenty days max, but it definitely wasn't twenty.

It’s just as possible you waited that long as it is that someone else waits much longer. In our healthcare system, anything is possible.
I had a situation where I needed more than just testosterone—I needed all my sex hormones, thyroid levels, plus FSH and LH. You wait way longer for those.