# Testosterone News



## IanIronwood (Jan 7, 2011)

Here's an interesting study:

Extra testosterone reduces your empathy, researchers find

Now, the implications of this are pretty interesting.

Both men and women have testosterone -- the "male" sex hormone. It's the one we associate most with "male" behavior characteristics, particularly sex drive and violence. Higher Testosterone, higher sex drive, higher propensity towards violence. This makes Testosterone a very valuable hormone for species survival, since high sex drive and willingness to confront danger are both basic positive survival skills. 

So Testosterone makes you horny . . . whether you're a man or woman (yes, I know you physiological nerdlings, it's a little more complicated than that, but _in general_ . . .) and the level of testosterone in your system generally influences your sex drive.

Now, guys have been saying for years that when they're all keyed up sexually they have a hard time listening to their women and being empathetic, and for the most part women have written that off as a character deficiency in males -- the "what do you mean you weren't listening you were staring at my boobs instead what kind of caveman are you do you see me as anything but a sex object" scenario. Many women won't accept the idea that her male partner's lack of attention and sympathy has anything to do with anything but the fact he's being a jackass. Women want intimate connection before they feel comfortable with sex, as a rule, and the idea that a man couldn't just sit there and talk to him without making it all sexual was just ludicrous. 

But lo, here's a study that confirms that yes, when your blood is raging with testosterone and you've got a huge woody, it is chemically more difficult for you to form the empathetic connection your woman desires before you get the poison out and see your testosterone levels fall sufficiently.

So we're not just being jackasses. It's hormones. When ours are out of whack, we don't need a good cry, we need to tear one off. After that, when our testosterone levels have receded, we feel the psychological security and have the empathy to pairbond and be empathetic at a far deeper level than before.

And it's interesting to note that this effect isn't confined to males, either -- when women have higher levels of testosterone, they too are less empathetic. So perhaps you HD fellas can pay attention to your wives' level of empathy to help spot when she's at a higher level than normal, and therefore perhaps more open to your initiatives.


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## hubby (Aug 10, 2009)

Good info, let's just hope they ladies don't turn the table to rationalize killing us from the effects of estrogen when Aunt Flow comes to town and we are not listening to them because our Mr. Testosterone has our ears pluged.

J/K of course, good info indeed.


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## MarriedWifeInLove (May 28, 2010)

Interesting...I have PCOS, this involves an issue with testosterone levels and insulin levels. My testosterone levels were off the map (for a woman) when it was first identified that I had PCOS.

I have medication to level everything out - including my insulin levels, and it's why they prescribe a diabetic drug to control this syndrome and when I take it, I find I am less aggressive and my hormones aren't raging as much, I have less fatigue, problems with weight gain, body hair issues, etc.

But when I don't take it regularly, then my levels increase and my hormones rage big time and I"m horny all the time. My husband once referred to me as acting like a "dog in heat."

So maybe there is something to this...thanks.


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## Draguna (Jan 13, 2011)

IanIronwood said:


> Here's an interesting study:
> 
> Extra testosterone reduces your empathy, researchers find
> 
> ...


Yeah, heard about the research. Interesting stuff. Explains some of the male psyche (but doesn't justify not using common sense though)


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## IanIronwood (Jan 7, 2011)

MarriedWifeInLove said:


> Interesting...I have PCOS, this involves an issue with testosterone levels and insulin levels. My testosterone levels were off the map (for a woman) when it was first identified that I had PCOS.
> 
> I have medication to level everything out - including my insulin levels, and it's why they prescribe a diabetic drug to control this syndrome and when I take it, I find I am less aggressive and my hormones aren't raging as much, I have less fatigue, problems with weight gain, body hair issues, etc.
> 
> ...



I take it you're on Metformin, then? Also, if you're done with reproducing, you might consider a uterine ablation procedure to control bleeding. And recent studies have shown acupuncture by a legitimate practitioner can reduce PCOS-related symptoms dramatically in most cases, so you might want to consider that as well.

But at least now you know why when you're horny, you really could care less about how his day went.


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## reachingshore (Jun 10, 2010)

It's funny that you used the word "empathetic", not "empathic" instead :rofl:

Yeah, I know both mean the same, but still it's funny :rofl:


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## IanIronwood (Jan 7, 2011)

Draguna said:


> Yeah, heard about the research. Interesting stuff. Explains some of the male psyche (but doesn't justify not using common sense though)



Not so sure about that. I'll have to dig up the link, but another study about two years ago suggested a correlation between higher testosterone levels and lower cognitive ability -- testosterone makes you do stupid things, which we pretty much already knew.

The study was flawed for a couple of reasons, but at least certain kinds of intelligence took a nose-dive in high-testosterone males, including the ability to make sound moral judgements. Essentially, testosterone allows your brain to justify pretty much anything, if it's strong enough. But other kinds of intelligence, particularly kinesthetic intelligence, rose by about 10% with the higher levels.

So testosterone makes you stupid, easily persuadable to step outside of your normal comfort zone, less empathetic towards others, more physically aggressive, and more adept at purely physical tasks.

Is it any wonder we want to "get the poison out", fellas? Or that we're better behaved when we do?


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## MarriedWifeInLove (May 28, 2010)

IanIronwood said:


> I take it you're on Metformin, then? Also, if you're done with reproducing, you might consider a uterine ablation procedure to control bleeding. And recent studies have shown acupuncture by a legitimate practitioner can reduce PCOS-related symptoms dramatically in most cases, so you might want to consider that as well.
> 
> But at least now you know why when you're horny, you really could care less about how his day went.


Yes I am on Metformin (also known as glucophage).

Thanks for the tip!

Exactly...just give me some.


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## Rico (Jul 28, 2010)

I take Androgel to raise my testosterone and the only thing that happened was that i lost 46 lbs and grew into a wolfman. I feel great and now I need to work out like a beast.


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## Draguna (Jan 13, 2011)

IanIronwood said:


> Not so sure about that. I'll have to dig up the link, but another study about two years ago suggested a correlation between higher testosterone levels and lower cognitive ability[...]
> 
> Is it any wonder we want to "get the poison out", fellas? Or that we're better behaved when we do?


Again proven wrong  Thanks for that.


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## IanIronwood (Jan 7, 2011)

Rico said:


> I take Androgel to raise my testosterone and the only thing that happened was that i lost 46 lbs and grew into a wolfman. I feel great and now I need to work out like a beast.


Where do you get yours? Just curious.


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

IanIronwood said:


> So we're not just being jackasses. It's hormones. When ours are out of whack, we don't need a good cry, we need to tear one off. After that, when our testosterone levels have receded, we feel the psychological security and have the empathy to pairbond and be empathetic at a far deeper level than before.


Thank you for posting that article -didn't read it yet -but will!! 

This is not at all surprising to me. I have a great book devoted to dissecting our Hormones & how they influence us Amazon.com: The Alchemy of Love and Lust (9780671004446): Theresa L. Crenshaw: Books

-Here is some of the things it states >>>

*As to Sexual roles -Testosterone *:

*Increases sexual thoughts & fantasies 
*Responds to Novelty , inspires one night stands & affairs
*Increases aggressive sex drive in both men & women -but *Doesn't have a stong effect on erection except indirectly by increasing desire.
*Increases the urge to masterbate rather than the desire for intercourse.

*As to Behavior, Testosterone *:

*Is activating
*Maintains separateness & promotes aggression
*Increases assertiveness and self -confidence
*Has been implicated as a cause of certain types of criminal behavior and domestic violence.
*Can trigger or contribute to psychotic behavior
*Rises in response to winning, social status, and pecking orders
*Is higher than usual in CAREER WOMAN 

*How we can Influence Testosterone :*
*Winning compititions/arguments/battles
*Sexual thoughtsm activities
*Diet containing Meat
*exercise


As a potent aphrodisiac for both sexes, testosterone promotes a drive for specific genital sex & orgasm . It comes with some built in contradictions. Although full of LUST, you may become overbearing & irritable & unattractive to the opposite sex. At the least, it makes you want sex, but it also makes you want to be alone or thoroughly in control of sexual situations- so it specifically promotes masterbation or 1 night stands -which is as close to being alone as possible with another person. 

Testosterone's motto: No emotional entaglements please. It is fair to say that it causes a compelling sexual urge that spurns relationships, unless they represent a conquest of acquisition of power. 

Women, having considerably less testosterone than men, are more receptive to emotional intimacy and less reluctant to commit. 

Luckily other hormones come into play to help us want the intimacy - such as *Dopamin*e (Pleasure hormone) , *Oxytocin* (bonding -touching hormone), *PEA* -called the Molecule of love, PEA is the Romantic in us. *Estrogen* -men have this too & it increases as they age while test slowly descreases, *Vasopressin* -the tempering hormone - works closely with Testosterone to keep it from reaching extreme highs & getting too hot -they also call it the Monogamy hormone. 

I really believe that much of our Behaviors ARE influenced by the specific levels of hormones in our body at any given time. If any of these hormones are out of whack/lacking/too high, it can cause colossal problems -which can indeed affect our relationships. We may not act as we should, as nature intended.


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## tobio (Nov 30, 2010)

SimplyAmorous said:


> Luckily other hormones come into play to help us want the intimacy - such as *Dopamin*e (Pleasure hormone) , *Oxytocin* (bonding -touching hormone), *PEA* -called the Molecule of love, PEA is the Romantic in us. *Estrogen* -men have this too & it increases as they age while test slowly descreases, *Vasopressin* -the tempering hormone - works closely with Testosterone to keep it from reaching extreme highs & getting too hot -they also call it the Monogamy hormone.
> 
> I really believe that much of our Behaviors ARE influenced by the specific levels of hormones in our body at any given time. If any of these hormones are out of whack/lacking/too high, it can cause colossal problems -which can indeed affect our relationships. We may not act as we should, as nature intended.


I was thinking about this yesterday. We have a four-month-old baby, I'm breastfeeding, and I have very happy levels of oxytocin I was trying to work out how it has affected the relationship between me and OH as we've both noticed I've been acting differently and I'm having to step back a little for fear of being smothering!

Baby was actually a home birth in water and I am positive this has played a part also.

Sorry slightly o/t but how the hormones affect us also fascinates me!


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## IanIronwood (Jan 7, 2011)

tobio said:


> I was thinking about this yesterday. We have a four-month-old baby, I'm breastfeeding, and I have very happy levels of oxytocin I was trying to work out how it has affected the relationship between me and OH as we've both noticed I've been acting differently and I'm having to step back a little for fear of being smothering!
> 
> Baby was actually a home birth in water and I am positive this has played a part also.
> 
> Sorry slightly o/t but how the hormones affect us also fascinates me!


Interesting side-note: there's oxytocin in human semen, too, which gets absorbed by the mucous membranes of the vagina (or elsewhere . . . ). Oxytocin is the lead hormone for pair-bonding between people. For example, you've got it for nursing so you'll bond heavily with your kid; but flinging a lot of it around in the early stages of a relationship helps cement the bond between lovers, and periodic renewal of that fluid-exchange actively promotes the strengthening of the pair-bond.

If this is your first, you might see some lingering hints of jealousy in your husband as you cement the bond with the kid. Of course, that's on top of the sleep deprivation, exhausting amount of laundry, and the faint aroma of stale milk and diapers in the air. There's a theory that men in that situation somehow respond to the oxytocin-induced bond jealously, regardless of whom that bond is with, even their own child. Beyond the psychological, there are pheromones at work here, too, and the fact is we don't know a heck of a lot of the subtleties of pheromones.


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## 7737 (Feb 10, 2011)

Does being on metformin reduce a females libido???...


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## tobio (Nov 30, 2010)

IanIronwood said:


> Interesting side-note: there's oxytocin in human semen, too, which gets absorbed by the mucous membranes of the vagina (or elsewhere . . . ). Oxytocin is the lead hormone for pair-bonding between people. For example, you've got it for nursing so you'll bond heavily with your kid; but flinging a lot of it around in the early stages of a relationship helps cement the bond between lovers, and periodic renewal of that fluid-exchange actively promotes the strengthening of the pair-bond.
> 
> If this is your first, you might see some lingering hints of jealousy in your husband as you cement the bond with the kid. Of course, that's on top of the sleep deprivation, exhausting amount of laundry, and the faint aroma of stale milk and diapers in the air. There's a theory that men in that situation somehow respond to the oxytocin-induced bond jealously, regardless of whom that bond is with, even their own child. Beyond the psychological, there are pheromones at work here, too, and the fact is we don't know a heck of a lot of the subtleties of pheromones.


Not our first, and taking a slightly different slant, he sees the closeness I have with baby but feels his closeness with baby hasn't come yet because he obviously can't feed baby himself- he was the same with our first. He's not jealous exactly, more disappointed he has to wait IYSWIM?

Going back to the original subject, how does testosterone affect women in general? Is it affected by other hormones - eg say like me who has just been pregnant and is breastfeeding? I know prolactin (I think?) suppresses ovulation during breastfeeding so the body concentrates on sustaining the nursing child- where would testosterone figure in this?


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

Tobio : You asked what Role testosterone plays while breastfeeding, it takes a back seat ..."Two hormones necessary for the female sex drive are estrogen and testosterone. Both estrogen and testosterone are found at low levels in the bodies of breastfeeding mothers. Once a nursing mom experiences the return of her fertility, she may find that during ovulation her sex drive increases due to the increase of estrogen at this time. Most women find that if there are no other medical issues to be considered, once they stop nursing their sex drive returns"

Here is the article about Prolactin - Breastfeeding and Low Sex Drive - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

Here is a thread with helpful links about Metformin & it's effects on Testosterone. Metformin Lowers Testosterone How Much?


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## tobio (Nov 30, 2010)

SimplyAmorous said:


> Tobio : You asked what Role testosterone plays while breastfeeding, it takes a back seat ..."Two hormones necessary for the female sex drive are estrogen and testosterone. Both estrogen and testosterone are found at low levels in the bodies of breastfeeding mothers. Once a nursing mom experiences the return of her fertility, she may find that during ovulation her sex drive increases due to the increase of estrogen at this time. Most women find that if there are no other medical issues to be considered, once they stop nursing their sex drive returns"
> 
> Here is the article about Prolactin - Breastfeeding and Low Sex Drive - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com
> 
> Here is a thread with helpful links about Metformin & it's effects on Testosterone. Metformin Lowers Testosterone How Much?


Good read. Fortunately there is no lowering of libido here, it's business as usual- which probably explains why I'm so knackered!


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

tobio said:


> Good read. Fortunately there is no lowering of libido here, it's business as usual- which probably explains why I'm so knackered!


That is fantastic! Blessed husband and baby. I never breastfed, so no idea if it would have affected me or not. I do know I could not wait to have sex after having my babies, we never listened to the Obgyn about waiting, after giving birth to my 2nd, got pregnant almost immediately -had our 3rd baby 11 months after the 2nd. 

One of the 1st stories in that Hormone book I mentioned was about a couple on the verge of divorce -over her unresponsive lagging sex drive, and the cause was breastfeeding. Neither had any clue this could happen, it is not much talked about . So once they realized what was going on, he felt better, knowing this was just temporary, & her knowing helped her also & she worked harder to please --and the marraige was happily saved.


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