HORMONE MANAGEMENT
When I started to get aches and pains, I assumed it was down to training too much. However, at a time when Davina McCall was waking us all up to the benefits of HRT, it occurred to me that my joint pain might be down to perimenopause. I was also more tired than usual and, combined with time out due to injury, my running performance was dropping off dramatically. Could getting in control of my hormones help?
I was already taking HRT with oestrogen and progesterone but had heard from fellow runners how testosterone had helped them, but it wasn’t licensed on the NHS. So, I approached Dr Ginny Ponsford at The Women’s Hormone Clinic as I knew she was qualified in menopause care as well as being knowledgeable around endurance sport.
“Testosterone levels in women steadily drop from our mid-30s onwards,” she explained. “The only way to determine your level is through a simple blood test.”
“Testosterone is often advised for treating low libido in the menopause but many women experience benefits to their energy levels, muscle strength and cognition. It’s given as either a cream or gel which you apply to your skin. And for some runners, it can help to improve performance and ability to train.”
Ginny also explained that it’s important to monitor testosterone hormone levels to ensure women are being kept within the female physiological range. This avoids potential side effects but also high levels could be considered as ‘doping’.
Testosterone helped tip the scales in my favour. After a long period of achy joints and tiredness, I’m now back running and seeing results. Since starting on testosterone, my 5K time has dropped by two and half minutes in three months, going from my slowest 25:17 in August 2023 to 22:43 in November 2023.
||Testosterone is often advised for low libido in menopause but many women experience benefits to energy levels, muscle strength and cognition||