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    Default DHEA for females

    DHEA for females and is something I have had a lot of success with in many situations. It really shines in the 40+ crowd and for those with poor adrenal function. DHEA is a steroid hormone found in the body that is a precursor to other important hormones. This gives it the ability to help maintain hormonal balance.
    It is heavily produced in the adrenals and some is also produced in the testes in men.
    It has been used for quite some time to treat imbalances, adrenal issues, enhance libido and overall well being. Its common place for a lot of men to supplement with DHEA but it can greatly benefit women in many cases.
    Its never a bad idea to check DHEA levels through ablood draw before supplementing with it but in most cases, its shown to be very safe for women in normal doses.


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    My wife just asked me about this, and I honestly couldn't give her a good answer if she should take this or not.

    Anyone with first hand experience with DHEA and females?
    Beach bodies are made in the winter.

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    my wife used it , and she isn't sure what she felt lmao, which means she didnt feel jack shit
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    I would like to hear some other female perspectives on DHEA usage.
    DHEA for females

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    Female DHEA Supplementation



    Have you ever noticed if a supplement, drug, etc is tried in men, and fails to work, it’s written off as being ineffective? Although improving, it’s well known that men have been the standard subjects in research, with the results often being applied to women as an afterthought. In recent years, that situation has improved and women are viewed as the physiologically distinct people they are from men, and studies looking at specific effects in women – using women as the test subjects – has grown dramatically. That’s the good news at least. The bad news is, there’s still plenty of research out there done on men, being applied to women, sometimes to the detriment of women. Obviously, men and women are not so different that a great deal of research fails to be perfectly applicable to both sexes, but the fact remains a great deal of prior research was done looking at men, and the results, good or bad, applied to women more as an after thought.
    Such is the case with DHEA in my view…
    What is it?
    Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been around as a supplement for a long time, so I’m not going to go into great depth on in this article as there’s a ton of info out there already on DHEA and it’s fully covered in my ebooks. To quickly summarize: DHEA is a hormone produced primarily in the adrenal glands with minor amounts produced by the testes. It is found in both men and women. DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body, and like all steroid hormones, ultimately comes from cholesterol. Most DHEA in the body is found as DHEA-sulphate (DHEA-S). DHEA is a major precursor to other steroid hormones. That’s the basic run down of DHEA.
    From a strictly health perspective…
    From a strictly health perspective – for those deficient due to aging or other causes – DHEA appears beneficial when used as a supplement for general health and well being in both sexes. It’s well established that DHEA levels fall off as we age, and the research on health uses of DHEA justifies using small amounts to counter this age related drop off or deficiencies from other causes. DHEA levels rise slowly till they peak at around 30 years of age, and decline steadily after age 35, with levels reduced by 70-80% by age 75. This effect is one of the most consistent and predictable changes in aging known with lower endogenous levels of DHEA/DHEA-sulfate found in advancing age strongly correlated with a myriad of health conditions best avoided.(1) For example, levels of DHEA and or DHEA-s in older men is strongly predictive of death by cardio vascular disease .(2)
    Only blood tests will tell a person what their DHEA/DHEA-s levels are and where they are compared to others in their age group. As this is not an article focused on the potential health benefits of DHEA in deficient populations, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter here.
    What about DHEA as a “muscle builder” in healthy young men?
    DHEA often gets marketed as a “muscle builder” to men. As a muscle building supplement in young healthy men, DHEA is essentially worthless, and high intakes may in fact be counter–productive to gaining muscle as high doses also cause an increase in estrogen and the effects on testosterone are minimal. Studies have been conflicting in this area at best, and most “real world” users report no improvements in strength, muscle mass, etc from using DHEA. So, for healthy young men with normal DHEA levels, it’s a bust as a “muscle builder” due to the fact it converts to testosterone poorly and raises estrogens levels when used at high doses.
    “What About Us Women Will?!”
    OK, this finally brings us to women and DHEA after the long winded intro above, but finally, here we are! Although the research in men using DHEA has been unimpressive and contradictory, such is not the case with women. In women, research using DHEA is much more consistent and compelling and there appears to be some gender specific responses to DHEA use.(3)
    As a supplement that can improve mood, libido, memory, and possibly alter body composition (i.e., increase muscle, improve bone density, and reduce bodyfat), DHEA appears to be a winner for women. Most of the research has been done in DHEA deficient populations, but data – and real world experience- suggests it’s also a benefit to women not medically deficient in this hormone. Although the benefits of this hormone to women comes predomently from its conversion to testosterone, it also appears some of the effects may be due to other mechanisms.(4). One recent study concluded:

    The use of DHEA therapy may also be discussed in women of any age when a trial of androgen supplementation seems justified because of the existence of an inhibited sexual desire or a sexual arousal disorder associated with documented androgen deficiency. The rather weak conversion of DHEA into testosterone protects from the risk of overdosing associated with testosterone preparations.
    Side Bar: Testosterone myths. Testosterone is often viewed as a “male” hormone. Although testosterone is the dominant androgen in men, it’s a hormone essential to the health and well being of both sexes, just as men produce and require some estrogen. How important can this hormone be to women? Karlis Ullis, MD, a faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine, who treats women with hormone imbalances states:
    It is clear to me, both from my clinical practice and from research, that testosterone is vital for women to preserve their lean mass and to prevent obesity. Not only will testosterone help mobilize body fat and negate some of the fat storing effects of estrogen, it is also extremely effective in building lean mass in women – even at small doses. Hormone replacement therapy that only includes estrogen and progesterone but leaves out testosterone is a curse of many a women’s fat loss program. This is not only a concern for postmenopausal women. Young women should think twice about using birth control pills. Birth control pills elevate estrogen and progesterone levels while drastically lowering testosterone levels. This is reason why many women experience large gains in fat as well as a decreased libido when using birth control pills.
    In women with established adrenal insufficiency, studies find 50mg DHEA corrects low serum concentrations of DHEA/DHEA-S, and brings testosterone into the “normal” range. With one recent study finding “DHEA treatment significantly improved overall wellbeing as well as scores for depression, anxiety, and their physical correlates. Furthermore, DHEA significantly increased both sexual interest and the level of satisfaction with sex.”(5)

    Side Effects

    Are there any side effects to DHEA use for women? Generally, they are easily dealt with by lowering the dose and “… are mostly mild and related to androgenic activity of DHEA in women and include increased sebum production, facial acne, and changes in hair status.” (6)
    In my experience, the above is related to dose. The low-normal dose recommended (see below) rarely if ever causes side effects, but there’s no free lunch in biology, and adjusting any hormone up or down, comes with potential for side effects along with the benefits. The issue – as in the case with any drug, supplement, etc – is whether the benefits outweigh the risks/side effects. As the (potential) benefits of DHEA high, and the side effects at best mild to non existent, my opinion is the risk/benefit ratio is very much in favor of using DHEA, but everyone has to decide for themselves on that score.
    Conclusions and Recommendations
    Believe me, there’s a lot more research I could cover, but I hope the above covers the essential points regarding DHEA and it’s potential value to women specifically. So, let’s sum it all up: For women over 40, or those with diagnosed adrenal insufficiency (AI), DHEA could be of considerable value to general well being as well as libido, mood, etc. Typical doses are 25 – 50mg and working with a medical professional to fine tune dosages is recommended.
    For “normal” women under 40, and or have not been diagnosed with AI, 25 – 50mg seems to do the trick, and starting at the lower dose and assessing over a few months is recommended. Most women will notice improvements in mood, libido, and possibly muscle mass and or bodyfat, at lower doses. The effect is increased at higher doses, but possible side effects mentioned above also become more common. At 50-100mg+, DHEA does act as a mild anabolic agent in women in my experience, and I have seen some fairly impressive results of increased muscle mass and decreased bodyfat at the higher doses, but it’s not dramatic compared to other anabolic hormones used by some female athletes. High doses of DHEA will also elevate estrogen levels, so that too should be kept in mind.
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    How DHEA Lowers Male Testosterone
    By Dr. David Ryan & Dr. Richard Cavender

    Many nutritional supplements hit the shelves claiming to offer improved health and function. Some items fall significantly short of their marketing claims.
    DHEA (dehyropiandrosterone) is one such supplement that claims to raise male testosterone levels naturally. The marketing of these products offers multiple claims of improving muscle mass and erectile dysfunction. The claims of DHEA preventing the metabolic changes typically associated with aging, but no actual studies have been published by universities to verify any benefit.
    The main issue with this supplement is related to the natural feedback mechanism that occurs in the body with the presence of elevated DHEA. The DHEA aromatizes to esterone, which provides negative feedback to the anterior pituitary to suppress luteinizing hormone, which removes the positive stimulate production of the testicular production of testosterone.
    This process is visible through several years of blood studies and clinical case studies. Some of the production of DHEA is from plant based items such as yams, this offers bio-identification problems in the human body and also other hypersensitivity issues with many men.
    The majority of DHEA is produced from cholesterol that is adjusted by several enzymes. This produces less bio-mechanical interruption and allows for more appropriate absorption.
    DHEA is thought to regulate some proteins via indirect mechanisms. In most cases the studies have failed to show an increase in lean muscle mass any greater than placebo in men.
    All is not lost. Women have a significant benefit from taking DHEA since it has been shown to aromatize in them and result in a testosterone byproduct. This occurs in roughly 95% of all females who use DHEA.
    Female reproductive health has noted a significant improvement with treating female infertility with a combination of gonadotrophins and DHEA.
    Lupus is a very difficult disease and effects more women than men. Short term benefits are noted, but there is some concern with long term issues.
    Although DHEA has been used by the public and it’s safety is well noted for the past 15 years. Since DHEA occurs naturally in the body, there is little rise for concern and dosages as high as 2.250 grams per day for 2 years still with no adverse side effects, but this study didn’t test for actual testosterone production in the males.
    The World anti-doping Agency is responsible for drug testing at the Olympics and they have marked DHEA for the prohibited substance list.
    So to summarize, the simple concern is with DHEA lowering testosterone in the male, but the female who specifically has depression and adrenal fatigue, appear to benefit from it’s use.
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    Great information.
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    Worth a re read.
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