Hormone Diet: My guide to boost testosterone naturally for women with low-T
When we think about testosterone we often think of it as a “male hormone” with negative associations like aggression and anger. We may only hear about testosterone in terms of our own bodies when we’re told that we have too much, with a PCOS diagnosis, because we are developing problem “male” characteristics like excess hair growth.
The benefits of testosterone for women
The truth is that women have testosterone too (just less than men) and low testosterone (or low-T as it’s often called) can also have a significant impact on your health and well-being.
For the fertile, healthy woman testosterone will be at its peak when you’re ovulating, but our bodies produce a steady stream between the ovaries and the adrenal glands. Good testosterone levels are important for building muscle mass, maintaining a healthy weight, and retaining bone density. You also need testosterone to get a decent night’s sleep, to have a strong libido, and to be able to tap into your creativity. That’s right – for women, studies show that robust testosterone levels promote creative divergent thinking as well as musical talent!
Stay away from those synthetics
You may have seen those TV commercials for synthetic testosterone therapy gels lately – the ones that say men and women can benefit from this treatment, reverse signs of aging and so on, with that rushed admission of heart attack and stroke risks at the very end. It’s possible your partner has been offered this, so you should know too that transference of the male gel to the skin of a woman or child can have rapid, scary consequences.
Playing with your hormones from a synthetic standpoint will always be risky. So, I’m here to tell you that, yes, low-T is important, but as always, taking the natural route is more effective and safer. You don’t want the potential side effects of the synthetic hormone replacement and you don’t need it in your life. There is a better way.
How to know if you have low-T
Our testosterone levels naturally dip as we age, but if you’ve recently gone through a big health transition like an experience of post-partum depression, the removal of your ovaries or uterus, the start of perimenopause or if you’ve come off the Pill, you might consider asking your doctor to check your levels of what is called “free testosterone” with a blood serum test as it is likely that those scenarios involve a dip in your levels.
Some of the symptoms you would be experiencing with low-T are:
fatigue
lack of sex drive
vaginal dryness
insomnia
gaining weight around your middle
problems retaining muscle mass
Natural testosterone therapy
Instead of looking for that quick-fix from the pharmacist it is much better to start from a place that assumes, and knows, that your body wants to be healthy and wants you to live a full and happy life. You body can and will produce all the testosterone you need at this time in your life. So, start by asking yourself this question:
What am I doing that’s suppressing my body’s natural productivity of testosterone?
Then all you need to do is stop doing the things that are preventing your body from functioning at its optimal level. You never have to beat your body into submission to make it work as you want, what you have to do is submit yourself to your body’s pattern and work with how it is designed.
I like to call that living in your Flo! Pay attention to the Flo-blockers in your life.
With that in mind, here are five Low T factors to evaluate right now and the natural testosterone balancing solution, FLO-T Fix, to get started with now:
Q: Are you getting enough saturated fats into your diet?
FLO-T Fix: avocados are a great source of natural bioidentical testosterone!
Q: Are you getting a good amount of zinc in your daily diet?
FLO-T Fix: Zinc is bountiful in beans and seeds, however you can also supplement with 50mg a day.
Q: Are you getting enough exercise?
FLO-T Fix: Strength training and body resistance-based workouts naturally increase testosterone levels.
Q: Are you pushing yourself too hard?
FLO-T Fix: Low testosterone in your 30s or 40s can be a reflection of a life burning the candle at both ends without giving yourself adequate rest and relaxation time. Stress is an enemy of testosterone. Lay down for 5 minutes 2x/day in Savasana pose and breathe with your eyes closed – let all your stress melt into your yoga mat. (Click here to read more about the direct link between stress and your fertility!)
Q: Are you having regular, healthy periods?
FLO-T Fix: If you’re on the Pill your testosterone levels will take a kicking and even when you come off you’ll need to make a choice to nurture your hormones back to health. If your cycle is wacky or non-existent then you might be having progesterone problems that will have a knock-on impact on your testosterone levels and overall health and well-being. Try coming off the pill.
Good things come in threes:
I want to hear from you!
First: Do you suspect you have some of the symptoms of testosterone levels? Which ones do you have?
Second: What are you going to try to boost your testosterone from the natural #FLO-T Fixes?
Third: You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social by clicking the buttons below 
Need more Hormone Help?
If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.
I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.
Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!
Dear Alisa, thank you for your article! Could you please write an article for an opposite problem – too much TST and how to eliminate it?
Dear Alisa!
I bought your book and I’m about half way through. I love it! 🙂 I bought it after I found a youtube clip of you talking on one of the TED’s conferences… Loved that too! 🙂
I’m 29 – gonna be 30 in July! 🙂 I have a great boyfriend who can’t wait till we have children! 🙂 I just got off the pill in December and I’ve had two quite normal periods since. However, both times (in between periods) I experienced extremely sensitive nipples and my breasts really hurt. I also experienced mild pain in the area of my ovaries. At first I thought I was pregnant already! 😀 But then I realized (because periods came both times), that it was all probably because of my getting off the pill…
I have two questions now. 🙂
1) I quite love exercise, but because of my work schedule and lazyness, I haven’t really started yet. I do have a great plan though. And I plan to start next week, when my unexpected work load finally ends… 🙂 I intend to keep exercising forever from then on. 😀 I have started several times in the previous years and I’ve been successful for quite some months, but then, something always came up, so I somehow stopped. I shall continue this now, I just want to know – since I haven’t been truly active for quite a while now – could it affect me becoming pregnant? I mean… Sex obviously doesn’t! 😀 I think. 🙂 And it’s quite some exercise… 😀 I believe this shouldn’t either, but I always love to ask questions – just in case. 🙂
2) I had my gynecologist appointment in November and they took the PAP test, as usual. Last month I received the result that my test was the letter C. I read all about it and I know this means some sort of changes in the cells if my cervix, but people and nurses have told me that I shouldn’t worry and that it is usually nothing. Of course, I will have another exam in 6 months, to do another PAP test, but for now… I can’t help but think about it at times and I worry. I’ve had the same result a few years ago, and it was all ok after too, but my aunt had cervix cancer (she beat it, of course) and my grandmother had lymph nodes cancer (she also beat it). So I worry. I know worrying doesn’t help, it can on the other hand even “push” these kinds of things forward… But until I get the result six months from now… I just want your opinion on this, since I respect you and all that you’ve done for yourself and of course all that you are still doing for all the women around the world…
If you can advise me on this, I would be extremely happy. I thought about contacting you before, but I think this is a good opportunity.
Thank you very much and I wish you all the success with what you do in the future! 🙂 You are the best!! 😀
What about women with PCOS who have high testosterone levels? I feel like trying the foods and exercises listed to boost testosterone would be a bad idea since I have enough unwanted facial/body hair. lol
Thanks Alisa!
Great article. I’ve been learning a lot over the past few years about our female hormones, our cycles and their affects on our bodies. What an incredible journey THAT has been. But this is the first time I’ve seen about low-T talked about in detail. So useful, thank you!
I came off the pill 2 years ago, and I’m still struggling to naturally increase my low progesterone. I have a very short luteal phase, breakthrough bleeding from about 2 days after I ovulate, and very sore, tender breasts in my luteal phase. Although I don’t have many low T symptoms (perhaps fatigue around ovulation and into my luteal phase) hearing about the link between low progesterone and low T is something I wil definately keep in mind when I have my hormones teseted later this year.
Thank you for also mentioning the pill and its adverse affects – I know it’s something you talk about often, and I really respect your commitment to educating women about the affects of this dangerous ‘band-aid’ approach to women’s health and fertility. I was on the pill for 13 years before I found out what it was doing to my body, and it breaks my heart that we’re continuing to do this to young girls every day. In many ways, we’re failing the next female generation by allowing this continue. I love that you’re taking a stand and working hard to address this.
Love your work,
Jodie
Oh… P.S.: ! 🙂
I’m trying the following natural FLO-T fixes:
1) I just bought an avocado… Have eaten them before, but not so regularly. Will try eating more often from now on. 🙂
2) I truly eat a lot of beans! 😀 So no worries there…
3) Exercise… of course! As I said in my previous comment above. 😉
4) I am pushing myself too hard… I think most of us are. So I already started doing some yoga and meditation. I’ve always wanted to try those, so here I go! 🙂
5) I will also pay attention to my periods. Should be regular.
I believe all of the above will not only help my testosterone levels, but also improve my general wellbeing and make me happier. 🙂 I feel happy just talking about it! 🙂
can you tell us what ‘normal’ free T ranges are for women both with and without their ovaries? thanks so much!!
I am looking for help and guidance, I am not on my fertile years anymore. I started with my menopause early when 42. I took synthetic hormones to help me cope with the symptoms and stopped some months ago after reading about it. It is becoming to hard to just go through it though, my life and changed completely, I am not happy.
I have all that you describe, mood swings, hot flashes, because of that it is hard to have a good night rest, I gained weight that I can not loose, no matter how little I eat.
Please help
I have low testosterone, high estrogen and low progeserone. My doctor has put me on a bioidentical progesterone cream- 40mg per day and 10 mg of Douglas Labs DHEA. Have gained some weight so I am making sure this is the best route for me? I have your book and love it!
Thank for the good work you are doing, it has really restored hope to me. I am 35 now and for the past 12 months, I have not seen my period. I am not often having sex because of strong christian faith as my husband has not been around . But now that I am trying to get pregnant, I can no longer see my menses. the Doctor simply told me that my ovaries are not functioning without any medical explanation for the failure. He encouraged me to be taken more fruits. since then i have been taken more of fruits particularly avocados Yet nothing seems to be happening. Please I need help.
irregular menstration
Finding you was a breath of fresh air. I am 48. Had a leaky gut and gluten all my life.. on top the normal hormone problems . I am healthy and now working on my hormones. low sex drive, thyroid, so many other things. Sleeping not through the night is a big on and starting my own business. I love natural things and I am really looking to do it that way and help my body get into hormone shake. We can have a magical sex life and be sexual part of the problem is society and how we look at this. I think I am going to get women code..
What if I have acne (too much testosterone) and a nonexistent sex drive?